Eternal Chains
by BlazingHeartz
Summary: When Sonic saves a girl from shadowy figures, he alters the course of Mobian history forever. Amira isn't the hedgehog she first appears to be... And as a prophecy as old as the Mobians themselves begins to play out, can the gang escape her destiny alive?
1. Escaped

*Blazie* Hey guys, it's me again! I've got myself another story, involving my first-ever fancharacter! Yay! And so, if there are any of you out there who like epic plotlines (with the appropriate twists a must, of course ;D), a lotta bit of romantical happenings (Eeep!), and wonderful character abuse caused by a certain author (: ) Heeheehee), I recommend diving into the world of Eternal Chains! And if you do so, all I ask is for a review, if you'd be so kind! So, scroll on down and have fun!

*This is gonna be a third-person narrative, so boys (if there are any out there that are actually reading this; I haven't met any yet : /), you don't have to freak out about being a girl ('cause I know that's awful). But before we go anywhere, you people need to know a little bit about this new character first…*

Name: Amira (uh-**meer**-uh)  
Species: Hedgehog  
Age: 16  
Appearance: Her fur is a very light blue, almost white. Her quills hang just above her waist, are the same color as her fur, and each have a deep purple streak in them. Three thin quills hang over her right eye like bangs, and each have a purple streak as well. Her arms and legs have the same purple streak that begin halfway down both pairs of arms and legs and end halfway down each, running across the elbows and the outsides of the knees. Her eyes are a brilliant emerald green with a thin ring of crimson around the pupils. She has a red birthmark in the shape of a "z" that begins above her left eye and ends below.  
Clothing: She wears a dark purple midrift tee-shirt with short black sleeves, blue jeans, black gloves, black sneakers with a small purple stripe along the top, and a tight purple ribbon around her neck with a red z-shaped charm hanging from it.  
Powers: Ice projection, super speed, master of the martial arts, healing powers (relatively unknown in the beginning of the story)  
Personality: Um, yeah, I'm gonna let you learn about that as you read ^v^ I don't wanna spoil everything for you right off the bat! (Translation: I suck at writing up personality descriptions, no lie haha)

*Now, just one last bit of business to take care of... The disclaimer! Ahem: Amira is mine, all other characters that will be mentioned that you haven't heard of are mine, and the general plotline is mine. Everything else is, for better or worse, the property of our dear company SEGA, without whom this tale could not be told.

Well, with all that hoopnah outta the way, we can once and for all get this narrative going! Let us go!*

Cold. It was the last feeling she could remember. Cold, even for someone like her, the very essence of such a frigid temperature.

_Faster! _she silently pushed her sprinting body. _Faster! _However, she could not do as her mind commanded. She had exhausted every bit of her strength in her attempt to escape. Now she would pay for it.

"Stop!" her masculine pursuers called out. "You will _not _escape us!"

_How'd they find me? _the girl questioned, panicked. _I thought I lost 'em miles ago!_ She threw a brief glance behind her to gauge her distance from them. Marring the serenity of the icy wilderness that encompassed her surroundings were fourteen figures, their full-length cloaks rustling backwards as they ran. One hundred feet of empty space was all that remained of her freedom, and it was closing fast. The pursuers then drew from beneath their cloaks a weapon; each instantly pointed a lethal handgun at her, fingers steady on the triggers.

"They wouldn't!" she gasped aloud, shocked. A bullet whizzed past her ear, missing it by mere inches. The girl rolled her eyes. "They would…" She focused all of her remaining energy on her feet, urging them to increase their pace. The feet utterly refused; rather, they chose to do the exact opposite—they began to slow. _Come on! Please, don't give up on me! _she begged them desperately. Their pace continued to slacken, however, their strength completely consumed. Soon, her legs felt the feet's agony; they gave out as well, causing the girl to involuntarily fall to her knees. "No!" she whispered harshly. "I failed!"

"That's right, you," the tallest of the cloaked figures sneered at her. He, along with the other thirteen, walked up to where their target knelt. Then, the tallest roughly pulled her upright by one of her quills, placed a firm hand around her neck, and pointed his handgun at her head. "You thought you could actually escape, did you not?"

"Well, that was the plan, but I guess you guys outsmarted me again," she said with a nervous laugh.

The cloaked figure was not amused; he tightened his grip on her neck. "We'll see how entertaining the Master will find you when he sees you back at the base."

"I'm not going back," she growled defiantly.

"Very well. As it is, the Master had given me clear instructions: to eliminate you if I met any resistance, and since I clearly have, I will gladly carry out my duty."

The adolescent girl was unsettled, but she refused to let it show to the others. She would not give them the satisfaction of her internal defeat. Instead, she glared directly into where her assailant's eyes would have been, were they not obscured by the brown burlap hood pulled over his face. "Fire at will," she said simply.

The cloaked figure smiled darkly and secured his finger on the trigger. Taking a deep breath, his victim closed her eyes one final time, preparing for it to end. The trigger began to receive pressure, contriving the weapon to carry out its lethal function, when suddenly another voice cried out, slicing through the silent tension.

"Not if I can help it!"

All countenances snapped towards the direction this voice came from and watched helplessly as a blue body charged at them, his immense speed blurring his features. Within seconds, all of the cloaked figures were swiftly being beaten down, one by one. In spite of the chaos amongst them, however, the figures saw to it that the girl's fate was fulfilled.

One of them fired the shot.

It pierced her body, and she collapsed from the agonizing pain the metal shrapnel provided. The last scene her eyes registered was a brief glimpse of her rescuer's face, staring at her with a truly horrified look in his own eyes, the irises as emerald green as hers. Then her head connected with the ice-covered ground with tremendous force, and all instantly went black.

*Well, that's quite the opener, huh? Did the girl survive? What about her rescuer? _I'm _not gonna tell... (That's what the rest of the chapter is for, sillies! XD)*

The same fearsome scene replayed itself persistently in her mind, giving her a restless sleep. However, her nightmare ended abruptly when she snapped in to a sitting position after hearing the gunshot sound once again. For a brief moment she was locked within terror, but she was quickly released as she realized that it was only a dream, and there was nothing to fear. She then collected herself and looked around to observe her new surroundings.

The frozen tundra she kept recalling was no more; instead, it was replaced by a white hospital room. She discovered that she was sitting in a hospital bed, and noticed that her head and left arm were bandaged. Also, she was still wearing the same clothes she had escaped in, with the exception of her black sneakers; they rested at the edge of the bed. To her right, there were two windows with the curtains drawn, and a small nightstand nestled in the corner, holding a vase filled with wildflowers. Sometime in her unconsciousness she had been connected to a monitor located to the left of the bed. Various medical charts and numbers flashed across its screen, and it made beeping noises that were exactly in time with her now accelerated heartbeat. Across from the bed was a door, and next to it were three chairs, two of which she was surprised to find occupied.

Two strange creatures were sitting in the chairs, what kind they were she did not know; the only species she had seen before were those like her-hedgehogs. One of them was a yellow color, while the other was a bright red; both were intensely staring at her. Cautiously, the golden twin-tailed one nudged the other, excitement in his light blue eyes.

"Knuckles, she's awake!" he exclaimed in a whispered tone.

"Yes, I can see that, Tails," the red one responded flatly.

"What do you think we should do?"

"Well, let's start by saying hi. I think we've scared her long enough."

"Okay, then!" the first male cried. He hopped out of his chair and skipped over to the left of her bed. "Hi! My name's Tails!"

"Oh, yeah, way to go, Tails, let's freak her out even more," the adolescent scolded, shaking his head. He let out a sigh as he rose from his seat and walked casually to the side of the bed opposite of where his young companion stood. "I'm Knuckles by the way."

"What's your name?" Tails directed to the girl.

"Amira," she answered softly.

"Amira…" the small boy repeated to himself, his countenance thoughtful. "That's a cool name. I like it!"

Her cheeks began to turn a light shade of pink. "Well, thanks… So guys, can you tell me something?"

"Sure, what is it?" Knuckles asked.

"Well… Could you maybe tell me how I got here? I was kinda unconscious for the past…" She looked around the room, trying to find a clock; she did not see one. "How long was I out?"

"Seven hours or so."

"Right. So anyw—" Her eyes suddenly widened in shock. "Did you say seven _hours?_"

"Yeah, I did. You were knocked out pretty bad. We've all been worried you wouldn't make it; there were some times when we thought you definitely were…you know."

"Oh…" A solemn moment passed before the hedgette spoke up once more, confusion in her question. "Wait a minute, who's 'we all'?"

"How stupid of us!" Tails exclaimed, slapping his hand against his forehead. "We totally forgot about Sonic!"

Her bewilderment was heightened. "Sonic? Who's that?"

"He's our friend," Knuckles answered. "Sonic brought you here and told us about you. He's the one to ask if you wanna know what happened."

"Great!" she replied with a delighted smile. "Where is he?"

"He should be out in the hallway, but…" Suddenly discomforted, his amethyst eyes fell to the ground.

"What?"

"Well, the doctors said that you wouldn't be able to walk for a while."

The girl scoffed heavily, irises blazing. "Excuse me? I can walk just fine, thank you!" Amira detached herself from the monitor then, swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up on the floor. She wobbled for a moment, but she soon regained her balance and paraded around the room a few times, her face lit with cocky satisfaction. The two males could do nothing but stare in disbelief. "See?" she said, smiling. It soon faded when she saw their stunned, transfixed gazes upon her. "What're you staring at?"

"That's not possible," Knuckles muttered distantly.

"You weren't supposed to regain mobility for another two _weeks_, you tore your leg muscles so badly," Tails added in the same tone. "Yet you're walking like as if nothing happened. Amazing!"

Glancing down at her legs, Amira became as astonished as they were. "Well, what do you know," she commented passively. "I guess I'm just full of surprises." She then regained a more serious tone before continuing. "But anyways, onto more important things-this Sonic guy. He's right outside in the hallway, right?"

"He should be," the crimson male answered.

"Well, I'll see you guys later then." Amira walked over to grab her shoes, put them on and made her way to the door. Quietly, she opened it and peeked outside. At first, nothing of intrest in the dreary white hallway caught her eye. She flicked a swift glance to her right-nothing. An identical gaze was cast to the left-something. A very intriguing something that kept her eyes locked in place.

A row of chairs was lined up against the wall where the door resided, the majority of which were empty. However, a single seat was taken, its occupant the captor of Amira's attention. He was a hedgehog, leaning forward in his seat. His arms were set on top of his legs, his hands clasped together. The hedgehog's fur was a deep cobalt, the richest shade of blue she had ever seen before. It was the eyes, however, that stole the focus of Amira's own. They were just like hers-a vibrant emerald green-which mildly surprised her; she had never seen such an eye color anywhere previously. His eyes stared intensely at his hands, and they seemed to harbor an array of emotions: nervousness, anxiousness, and most notably, tiredness, as if they had not seen allieviation in a long while.

_Did I do this? _she wondered. She could not help but feel a little guilty; it was only logical that she was the cause of his unease. As Amira continued to look at him, however, her thoughts shifted. He somehow made her feel a sense of…familiarity. Her heart jolted with this seemingly impossibility. She knew she had never met this person in her life, yet she was positive that she had seen him before. Nevertheless, she swiftly dismissed the confusing feelings and stepped out into the hall, shutting the door behind her.

The noise alerted the other hedgehog, and he slowly turned his head toward her, his exhaustion making any effort to fake cheerfulness impotent. When he saw her standing there, alone and unaided in the hallway, the look in his eyes suddenly changed from tired agony to surprised shock. Then, they shifted once more, showing intense relief and happiness, which soon spread to the rest of his face.

"She's alive," he whispered to himself. He jumped out of his chair then and ran to her with impossible speed. In a split second, he was a mere foot away from her, a large smile on his countenance. Amira automatically took a small step backward, somewhat apprehensive of him. "You're alive!" he exclaimed, excited.

"Yeeeah...?" Amira responded cautiously.

"Oh sorry..." he said, realizing what had her unnerved. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, calming himself, before looking at her again with a more approachable expression. "I'm just so relieved. To be honest, I wasn't sure if...you were gonna make it." His face fell slightly.

"Really? I was hurt that bad?"

"Yeah, you were..."

Sensing his discomfort, Amira changed the subject. "So, what's your name?"

"Oh crap!" he cried suddenly, slapping a hand awkwardly to the back of his neck. "Sorry! I should've said so earlier. I'm Sonic."

"So you're Sonic?"

His irises hardened slightly in concert with his tone. "Yeah. Is that a problem?"

"Oh, no no no! That's great, actually. My name's Amira."

"Amira?" Sonic questioned, bewildered curiosity tightening his features. "What kinda name is that?"

Amira stared blankly at the blue hedgehog before her, momentarily stunned by his bluntness. "Well, what kinda name is Sonic?" she retorted, sarcastic.

Sonic laughed softly to himself, the sound low and warm, causing the girl's heart to strangely skip a beat. "Touche, Amira. But just so ya know, I didn't say I didn't like it."

Amira felt her cheeks tingle, the gentle burn staining them an embarrassing shade of pink. "Um, thanks. So Sonic..." She hesitated for a moment, unsure of how he would react to the question she wanted to ask.

"What is it?"

"Can you tell me how I got here?" Sonic closed his eyes and sighed. "Oh, I'm sorry! If it's too much of a problem—"

"No, don't think that," he cut in. "It's okay that you asked; you have a right to know." Despite the honesty in his words, Amira was not completely convinced; she looked at him skeptically. "Honestly, it's fine! Really!" He beamed another stunning smile at her, a genuine one that caused Amira's heart to lose its rhythm once again. Finally persuaded, she laughed softly to herself. "Good! Now that I have you convinced, please sit down, and I'll explain what happened." He waved his arm across the length of empty chairs, motioning for the hedgette to choose one. She did as instructed, and he then sat to her left.

"Well, today started out as normal as any other. I was just takin' a casual run through the town when the weirdest thing happened. I suddenly had a really strong urge to go up north. Now, I had no idea why, and I don't think I ever will. It kinda felt like something inside of me was pullin' me there, like there was somethin' up there I needed to see, as crazy as that sounds. It wouldn't let up, so I figured I might as well listen to it. I ran up north, and that's when I saw you there with those cloaked guys. At first I thought, 'why should I care?', but then I saw the tall one next to you...with that gun..." Sonic tightened his hands into two individual fists and assumed an infuriated, hateful look at this thought. He continued in a quieter, but angrier tone.

"They were gonna kill you, and I can't just 'let' someone die. And so I tried to protect you, but I didn't try hard enough." He looked at the bandage on Amira's left arm, and his expression changed from rage to guilt as he gazed at it. "One of 'em...managed to hurt you. You fell then, and when you hit the ground, you totally blacked out. I defeated all the other guys except for that tall one; he ran away before I could get to him, but he didn't matter to me at that point. I picked you up and brought you here. Then I called Knuckles and Tails, and they immediately came, too. Soon, there were a million doctors checkin' in on you, along with the three of us, and they were constantly talking about how they 'questioned your chances for survival' and depressing crap like that. They said it so much that after I while, even I couldn't help but start to believe 'em, but I'm glad I never entirely gave up hope, 'cause here you are," he finished with a smile.

Amira sat silently for a minute, trying to absorb all that Sonic told her. "Thank you," she said finally.

"For?"

"Saving my life. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now."

The skin on the cobalt hedgehog's cheeks flashed a faint rose color. "Oh, it was nothing, but you're welcome."

At that moment, Amira heard snickering from behind her, and when she looked back, she saw Knuckles standing just outside the doorway with a smirk on his face.

"Well, who wouldda thought," he teased. "Sonic, if you turn this red just talking to her, I'd love to see what would happen when you _really_ get to know her."

A spark of chagrin flashed across his emerald irises. "Shut up, Knucklehead!" Sonic shouted at him. He leaped from his chair and pounced upon the echidna, relentlessly attempting to smack him. Tails soon appeared inside the doorjam, saw the two of them wrestling on the ground, and subsequently rolled his eyes.

"Not again..." he moaned.

"You mean they've done this before?" Amira asked, walking to him.

"Only every day."

"And you're not trying to stop them _why_?"

"It's impossible! Do you _see_ how they're fighting each other? Interfering will just get you hurt, too!"

"We'll see about that." Amira carefully walked over to where Sonic and Knuckles were brawling and eventually managed to gain a solid hold on the back of each of their necks. She pressed her fingers down on them with a controlled amount of pressure, causing frigid tendrils to rush along their spines; so cold, their vital organs were paralyzed for one entire second. The two boys instantly froze, collapsing to the floor; then, they slowly turned their heads upwards to look at Amira, shocked. She merely gave them a satisfied smirk.

"Glad that's over with," she said, dusting her hands against each other.

"H-how'd-d you d-do that?" Sonic stuttered, shivering.

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out-maybe," she answered, a playfully sarcastic giggle intertwined in her voice. "Now, we're not gonna do this again, are we?" Neither of them said a word. "I'll take that as a 'no'. Now if you guys don't mind, I'd like to get outta here. Hospitals...just aren't my thing."

"But Amira-" Tails started.

"But what?" she interrupted, turning on him. "The doctors won't let me? Like I care! And besides, hospitals are where sick people go, right? As far as I'm concerned, I'm not sick, so technically, we don't need to be here."

"True, but-"

"Thank you. Now let's go!" Amira held out a hand to Sonic and Knuckles to help them up. They each grabbed one, and she pulled them swiftly to their feet. The foursome then walked in a single-file line out of the hall: Sonic and Knuckles on the outside, Amira and Tails on the respective inside.

"So Amira," Tails began after an extended period of silence between the group, "what exactly did you do to stop World War III?"

Amira laughed; Sonic and Knuckles simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"Nothing really. I just used my powers to temporarily freeze their vital organs."

"Yeah, we got that part," Knuckles snapped at her. "_How_ did you do that?"

Sonic's green eyes darted to Knuckles' then, the piercing glare they projected somehow disagreeing with his usually casual features. "Don't talk to her like that," he growled in a low, threatening tone.

"And what're you gonna do about it?"

"Lemme show you what!" Sonic attempted to charge at him, and the targeted echidna instantly followed suit. Tails and Amira became the only barriers between them, restraining the two of them with all of their might.

"Guys, cut it out!" Amira shouted to them. Sonic and Knuckles refused to listen, pushing harder against their restraints. "I can't believe you're making me do this again… Tails, let go of Knuckles!"

"What?" he asked frantically over his shoulder.

"Just do it, and get outta the way!"

Tails did as commanded, and Knuckles subsequently came rushing at Amira and Sonic. The hedgette grabbed onto him and spun to two of them around to gain a hold the back of their necks. As she applied an identical amount of pressure as she had prior, they both fell to the floor once again, shivering.

"I hate you guys for making me do that," she muttered as she crossed her arms, her irritation obvious.

"W-why?" Sonic stuttered.

"Oh for goodness sake…" Amira moaned softly. She dashed over to a nearby maid's cart, snatched two towels from it, and threw them at the adolescent males. They wrapped them around themselves, attempting to warm up. "And as for your question, I'm not gonna answer it, if you don't mind."

"What is it?" Tails asked her innocently, his curiosity genuine.

Her vibrant eyes fell to the tiled floor, and a hand reached up to finger the charm on her necklace. "I… It's something I don't like talking about."

"Well, f-fine then," Sonic said with reassurance.

Glancing to him, she smiled softly. "Thanks. Now can we _please _get going? I really don't like it here."

"Sure, b-but do ya m-mind?" He held out a hand to her.

Amira rolled her eyes playfully, any resentment against him or Knuckles eliminated. "Come on, guys…" She pulled the two boys up once more, and then all four continued to walk toward the exit.

After a few minutes, they reached the main lobby.

"Checking out, I see?" the female receptionist called out to them from behind the front desk.

"I guess so," the girl responded simply.

"Well, I need you to sign out before you leave."

"Oh, sure, no problem."

The foursome approached the desk.

"Alright," the receptionist began, with no attempt to disguise her boredom, "if you could just sign next to your name on the list, please..." Blindly, she pushed forwards a clipboard and handed Amira a pen. The hedgette quickly scanned the list and signed the line next to her name. "Thank you. You're free to—wait a minute." Inspecting closely, she brought the list closer to her paling face. "You're Amira?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Yeeeah…? Is that a problem?"

"Well, I was given special instructions to not allow the one named Amira leave."

Four sets of eyes widened, astonished and confused.

"What? Why?" Amira demanded.

"I was told about you; the doctors wouldn't stop talking about this 'medical miracle' they've found. They've apparently learned about you're amazing recovery, how you've managed to regain full mobility in your legs when the slightest chance of that happening shouldn't be until weeks from now. So, they've decided that they want to keep you for further research, and told me specifically that I'm not allowed to let you leave."

"And what makes you think that I'm gonna let you use me as a guinea pig? I'm outta here!" Amira whirled around and began to march towards the glass door exit.

"Very well," the receptionist muttered darkly. She discreatly pushed a button that was hidden underneath her counter, and soon six large, muscular security guards bounded out from the surrounding hallways, encompassing Amira.

The teenage girl burst out into a short fit of disbelieving laughter. "You've gotta be kidding me! Security guards in a _hospital?_ It's pathetic what the world's come to. I guess people can't be trusted anymore—" Amira charged at them, and in a flurry of perfectly executed attacks, knocked them all unconscious in a matter of seconds. "—and I guess that's why."

"Hey, you!" The youthful woman pointed a shaking finger at her. "You leave me no choice but to—"

Amira ran up to her and was sitting on the counter in a fraction of a second, placing a hand on the back of her neck and glaring at her with intimidating, half-closed eyes. "Listen to me," she murmered in a low, menacing tone. "We're gonna pretend that none of this happened, or else I'm gonna do things that neither of us will like." Her index finger and thumb tightened closer together, pinching a small patch of the receptionist's skin between them. "You got me?" The woman nodded her head in many small, rapid movements. "Good. And if anyone asks you about these guys, you say that you just came in when you saw them on the ground. You. Know. Nothing."

"What if they ask where you were?" Her voice was high-pitched and cracking.

"Crap, I hadn't thought about that. Tell them…that someone gave me the okay to leave, and I listened to them."

"Okay!"

"Great. Ya know, you're not half-bad. See ya!" Flashing a crooked smile, Amira freed the receptionist's neck from her grasp and casually moved towards the door. Three sets of masculine eyes merely stared at her as she glided through them, both shocked and amazed by what had just occurred. When the hedgette realized she was still walking alone, she stopped and turned to face them, hands on her hips. "Well, what're you waiting for? C'mon!"

The other three said nothing, and they carefully walked to where Amira waited. Joining with her, the foursome proceeded to leave the hospital. Soon, they walked through the doors and into a medium-sized city. There was a clear blue ocean to the right, a train station to the left, and a triangular plaza in front of them, the encompassing streets eventually winding around a corner opposite the hospital, obscured by small skyscrapers. As the three boys continued to step into the overwhelming chaos, Amira's legs stiffened underneath her, keeping her frozen in place. She felt completely lost; this was not the home she once knew.

"Whoa," she breathed, looking around. "Where am I?"

"This," Sonic answered with a smile, "is Station Square."

*And this is where we stop! So, what did you think? Was it good? I thought it was very interesting. A mysterious new person, who a certain someone seems to show interest in… Gasp! I said too much! lol And yes, maybe this did move a little quick, but there really weren't many details I felt were neccessary to add. Sorry if you feel differently. : / Well, that's all for now, so proceed to Chapter 2!*


	2. Jealousy

*Whoo hoo! Chapter 2! (Sorry for the bad rhyme) Thanks for deciding to continue on in your reading! It gives me hope that this isn't just some stupid story haha Anyhoo, time to give you some warnings that I think are kinda neccessary: 1) There's a lotta dialogue involved here, so sorry if ya have issues with it. And 2) This chapter isn't exactly what I'd call exciting. I think you'll see why. Well, do the standard review, and proceed without caution!*

"Station Square?" Amira asked. "Is that in Spartanius?"

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails shot her confused glances.

"Spartanius? What's that?" Tails asked her, his azure eyes reflecting the silent search within his mind for something familiar to him that was comparable.

"That's what we call where I'm from. So, since we're obviously not there, where is 'here'?"

The threesome continued to stare at her, shock joining their increasing confusion.

"Um, this is the Earth," Knuckles remarked, his voice sounding as though he were explaining a simple concept to a young child.

"Earth? I don't think I've heard of that before."

Another moment of silence ensued, accompanied by more surprised glances.

"Seriously?" Sonic inquired. Amira shook her head meekly, looking at him with genuine honesty. "Well then, in that case, lemme show ya a little piece of it." (There, I fixed it, Pure Heart ^^;)

Knuckles flashed Tails an intense, prodding look then; the younger fox returned it with an uncertain, but understanding one of his own. "Uh, Sonic..." Tails started sheepishly.

"What is it?"

"Me and Knuckles, uh..."

"Don't really wanna stick around, and would rather meet up later," Knuckles finished impatiently.

"Oh, okay. Tails, you don't hafta be afraid to ask me that. So, where'll ya be at?"

"Um, we'll be at my workshop in the Mystic Ruins; meet us there when you're done, okay?"

"Sure thing. See ya!" Tails and Knuckles ran off toward the train station then, leaving Amira and Sonic alone.

"So, let's begin, shall we?" Sonic said to her, smiling. He began walking to the left, and Amira followed at his side.

"Well," he started in an exaggerated tour guide voice. Amira could not help but laugh continually as he spoke. "To our left we have a wonderful hotel, complete with a swimming pool, beach access, and a path to get to a real, live casino! You'll also notice some apartments and a road that leads to...somewhere underground! Now if you'll please follow me around the corner, we'll continue with this wonderful tour!" The two of them followed the sidewalk, taking a right turn, passing the train station.

"And this is what gave Station Square its name," he continued, his voice returning to normal. "It's a train station, obviously, and it leads to this place called the Mystic Ruins. When we're done, we'll head there next, if that's alright." Amira nodded. "Good! Now if you'll look to the right, you'll see a street that turns to the left around those buildings. That just leads to city hall and a few stores and restaurants that aren't really that interesting, so we'll skip over that." Sonic motioned for Amira to follow him across the street; she did, and they stopped in front of a small elevator that led up to an enclosed pathway, which in turn connected to another building.

"Why's there an elevator in the middle of the city?" Amira asked innocently.

"Honestly, I don't know why they did that," Sonic replied, chuckling softly to himself at her question. "But this leads to a place called Twinkle Park. It's an amusement park; there're a bunch of rides and stuff there."

"Sounds fun; we'll hafta check it out one of these days."

"Yeah, we should. Everyone else would love that."

Amira gave him a confused look. "Who's 'everyone else'? You mean there're more of you?"

"Mm-hm. I'll hafta introduce you sometime. Anyways, there's one last spot I'd like to show you."

The twosome turned to the right, and paused when they reached the rail that faced the ocean. Amira's features brightened as she gazed upon the sparkling blue water before her, which contrasted perfectly with the yellow, orange, and red sky the slivered sun created. This was a scene that she could only dream about before now. Sonic's eyes locked onto hers, and an admiring smile slowly crawled on his lips as he gazed at the childlike wonderment dancing among the facets of her irises.

"Wow..." she murmured distantly. "This is so beautiful."

His unnoticed grin gently widened. "I thought you'd think so." He turned and gazed out over the expansive water as well. After a minute of silence passed between them, he began a new subject. "So Amira, you said you had powers, right?"

The girl gave him a cautious sideways glance. "Yes."

"Could you tell me what they exactly are? I'm just curious."

Amira let out a sigh, and then turned to face him directly. "Listen, Sonic. I'd tell you, but-" She took a quick look around to assess the amount of other people in the area-in her judgement, too many. "C'mon." Taking his wrist, she pulled Sonic to a quieter corner of the street and explained in a softer tone. "Remember those guys you saw with me when you found me? They're after me, and they won't stop until either I'm eliminated, or they are. So I have to try to keep as low a profile as I can, and if I openly talk about my...'abilities', word can travel that I'm here, and if they find out, I'm done for. I'll tell you as much as I can about me, I promise, but just not now, okay?" Seeing his nod, Amira gave him a relieved smile. "Thank you. It means a lot to me."

"No problem, Amira. I understand."

"Again, thanks. But hey, it's getting late, and I'm sure Tails and—well, at least Tails is getting worried about us."

Sonic flashed a smile at her comment. "You're right; let's go."

The cobalt hedgehog led the way to the train station; they entered the building and climbed up the stairs to get reach the train terminal. As they were about to board the waiting train, one of the security guards standing to the side approached the two of them.

"Excuse me miss," he said to Amira. "I'm not sure you should be riding."

"Excuse _me_?" she retorted harshly, her eyes bitter. "Since when is it any of _your_ business whether I 'should' be doing anything?"

His pale cheeks flashed scarlet. "Well, I'm sorry, but I just noticed your bandages, and thought that you'd be more suited for a hospital."

Amira glanced at the gauze just below her left shoulder, and and her face softened. "Oh... Thanks, but I'm fine."

"But-"

The girl grunted, frustrated. "You mean I gotta prove it to you? Honestly!" She began pulling off the tape that secured the bandages on her arm and head then. Unseen by the others, Sonic involuntarily winced at her every tug at the tape, predicting the gruesome details of the wounds that were buried beneath the bandages. When the white patches were finally removed, however, there was scarcely any evidence of her injuries; a tiny circular scar on her arm and an even smaller line on her forehead were the only indicators. He could not help but stare at her with wide, shocked eyes.

"You see? I'm_ fine! _Now let us through!" Amira snapped at the young guard, her previous frustration returning.

"Oh, okay. Go ahead," he muttered, slightly dejected. He stepped aside and Amira briskly passed him, storming into an empty train car. Sonic threw the guard an apologetic look and followed the adolescent. Once inside, he found her sitting in one corner of the car, arms and legs crossed and an angry scowl on her face. He silently walked to her and sat to her right.

"What's wrong?" he asked her gently, caution evident.

Amira hesitated for a moment, then took in a deep breath and gazed up at him with solemn eyes. "I'm sorry for snapping off like I did." Her voice held a slightly pensive tone. "It's just that…it always bothered me when people get in my way like that. Like, if its none of their business, they don't need to know, ya know? And then when they won't stop bugging me... But that's really no excuse; I totally overreacted back there. Again, sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Amira," he said, a reassuring smile on his countenance. "I can completely understand where you're comin' from." Sonic reached out and placed his hand gently on her forearm, and Amira managed to lessen the sparks of pink she felt at her cheeks with a grateful smile.

However, the blue male's reciprocating grin soon slid down into a concerned frown, and his voice became disturbingly deep and flat. "You're freezing."

"Sonic, wait, I—"

"There's no time! Who knows how long you've been like this! We've gotta get you back to the hospital!" He began to stand up, but Amira clamped a hand on his shoulder, forcing him back down.

"Wait a minute!" she exclaimed. "I can explain. Ya see, it has to do with my powers. One of them is…ice projection." Sonic's eyes widened. "But that's not possible with a body temperature of 98.6 degrees, is it? I _need_ to be cold."

"Thirty-two degrees…?" he breathed, leaning back against the seat.

"Lower. I'm at around twenty-five."

Confusion tightened his features. "But…how're you _alive?_"

Amira cast her emerald irises downward, and she bowed her head forward slightly. "…I don't know…"

Just then, the train jolted to life and rumbled gently towards the Mystic Ruins. The two of them sat in a somber silence for several minutes until Sonic spoke up once again, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.

"So, what other powers do you have, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well," Amira sighed, "as far as I know, I have two _power_-powers, but there's something else I guess you could consider pretty impressive. I already told you about my ice powers, but I also have super speed."

"Really?" he inquired, delightfully surprised. "So do I!"

"No way!" she said with an astonished smile, lighting the rest of her countenance as she looked at him. "Wow… I've never met anyone with it before. Have you?" Sonic did not give a verbal response; his expression fell into quiet anger. Slowly, he nodded. "Oh, I'm sorry if I-"

"Hey," he interrupted. His voice had suddenly lost its usual warmth. "It's fine. You don't hafta apologize for everything. It's just that who I was thinking of… Well, we're not the best of friends."

"Oh, I understand. Archenemy?"

"You could say that." He scoffed flatly.

"Um…" She hesitated for a brief moment, ultimately choosing to press on. "Can I ask what their name is?"

The sapphire hedgehog drew in a deep breath, then answered in a low, hateful tone. "Shadow. His name is Shadow."

"Shadow…" she repeated thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Look, I don't wanna sound rude, but-"

"You wanna change the subject? I understand. I'd probably want to, too."

"Thanks, really." The corner of his mouth pulled upwards into a small, but genuine grin.

"No problem. Now, we were talking about my powers, weren't we? Ice and speed are my 'supernatural' powers, I guess, but where I'm from, we were taught the martial arts, and I've managed to master all that I was taught."

"Seriously?" Sonic asked, shocked. Amira nodded. "Ya know, you're incredible."

Amira's cheeks became a deep crimson, the hue lingering for a minute. "Thanks," she responded sheepishly.

The train started to slow down then, coming to an eventual halt. Sonic stood up and took Amira's wrist, pulling her up.

"C'mon," he told her. "We're here."

They left the train car and arrived at a wooden platform built at least one hundred feet off the ground. From where she stood, Amira saw a huge rock face before her that stretched the entire length of the area. There were a few caves carved into the rock, leading to other places unknown to her. Towards the right there was a small lake, into which a waterfall flowed. Even further, a small hut was located on top of a tall hill. Amira then felt a tug on her wrist; she looked at Sonic, who was gazing back at her at her with a smile on his face.

"Let's go," he urged gently. He began leading her down the steps, and she closely followed, making their way towards the hut. They walked in silence; their minds were deep in their own widely different thoughts. Amira's had returned to the person Sonic had mentioned on the train, the one who had made him so angry.

_Shadow… _she repeated in her head. _That name rings a bell… But why, I wonder… _She knew she heard that name before, but for some reason, she could not associate a face with it. Amira continually pondered this, but she cut her thoughts off when a strange feeling panged in her heart, like she was being watched. When she looked to her left, her sensation was confirmed; Sonic was staring at her, appearing as though his mind was great distances from where they were walking.

"What?" she asked him, her voice slightly edgy.

"I was just thinking." He pointed to the scar on her arm. "That's not normal."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure wounds like that don't completely heal overnight. So I got to thinking; maybe it's another power of yours."

"Another one?" Amira moaned, putting her hand to her head.

"What's the matter?"

"I just…don't wanna have to deal with any more _powers_." She spat out the last word.

"But why? I'd think it'd be pretty cool to have your powers-"

"You would think that, wouldn't you!" she quietly snapped at him, the crimson in her eyes flashing for a second, overtaking the green. As the original hue returned to her irises, she realized what had happened, and was quickly overcome with guilt. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I had no reason to do that, I just…lost control, which someone like me can't afford to do."

"Then…just who are you, Amira?" The hedgette did not answer, and she assumed a blank countenance. "Wait," he began somewhat frantically, the color draining from his features. "I probably just offended you right now, and I didn't mean to, but-"

"No, it's fine, you can ask me that," she interrupted. "It just brought up some…unwanted memories, that's all."

"Oh, but still, I'm sorry for doing that."

"And I said it's fine. You're curious, and I don't blame you; I would be too, it's just…"

"What?"

"Never mind," she answered quickly, and changed the subject. "We're here."

After climbing the stairs carved into the stoney plateau, they arrived at the small hut, which Sonic simply walked inside.

"Hey, is anybody home?" he called out.

"We're over her, Sonic!" Tails' voice carried back.

"C'mon," the blue hedgehog directed to Amira. She was brought through a diminuative kitchen in the front of the hut until the adjoining hallway merged into an even smaller sitting room, scarcely able to house the two plush chairs placed inside it. Both were occupied; one by Tails, the other by a brigh pink hedgette whom Amira did not recognize. As soon as Sonic had entered the room, the youthful girl leaped from her seat and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He stiffened under her embrace.

"Girlfriend?" Amira asked him, finding it difficult to hide her laughs.

"No…" he moaned.

"Then why-"

"I don't know. She got this obsession with me a long time ago and hasn't left me alone since."

"Oh Sonic, it's not an obsession!" the girl sang. "It's love!" The cobalt male rolled his eyes and attempted to squirm free with no success.

"Want some help?" Amira offered.

He threw desperate eyes in her direction. "That'd be nice!"

The adolescent girl laughed to herself and studied them for a brief moment, calculating the best way to approach. She then moved behind the other girl, placed a hand on the back of her neck, and applied a small amount of pressure upon it. The girl let out a tiny shriek and fell to the floor. Tails ran over to help her up, and Sonic gave Amira a grateful look.

"Thanks," he sighed.

"No problem. Who is she?"

Sonic opened his mouth to answer, but the girl cut him off. "I'm Amy," she said, her voice snapping. "And who're _you?_"

"Um, I'm Amira." She was unnerved by Amy's tone. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh no, nothing at all; everything's fine!" Amy marched past them then, an furious, dark look on her face.

Amira turned to Sonic, confused. "What'd I do?"

"Don't mind her; she just gets really defensive around girls she doesn't know."

"Why?"

"Well, to put it simply, she thinks she's my girlfriend, and she doesn't want anyone to get in between us."

"But she's not, right?"

"Absolutely _not_."

"Alright then, glad that's established." A smile passed her lips; it soon faded when she casually scanned the room, noting the red echidna's abscence. "Hey Tails, where's Knuckles at?"

"He left fifteen or so minutes ago," the fox responded. "He said he was sick of waiting around for you guys and just left. That's also when Amy showed up, and once she knew Sonic was coming I couldn't get her to leave." A soft giggle ended his sentence.

Amira gave a half-hearted smile and sadly asked, "So Knuckles hates me, too?"

"Amira, listen to me," Sonic said, turning to face her, his tone somewhat stern. "No one hates you; Knuckles and Amy're just a little mistrusting of people they don't know. In time they'll get nicer, trust me."

"If you say so," she muttered, still unconvinced.

"I know so. Besides, with the way you are, they don't have a reason to hate you." He lightly patted her on the shoulder, and she grinned genuinely. Then he directed his attention to the younger boy. "Hey Tails," he began, "it's kinda late, and I was wonderin' of we could stay here for tonight, then head out to your place tomorrow."

"Sure, that's no problem," Tails said. "I've just gotta figure out where to put you guys. Let's see… Amira, you and Amy could share one of the rooms upstairs, and me and Sonic could share the other one. Does that work?" The other two nodded. "Great. Well, I'm gonna turn in, so I'll see you later then."

"Alright Tails, see ya," the blue male responded. After Tails left the room, Amira let out a yawn, much to her surprise. Sonic laughed softly, and she could not help but join him.

"Let's get you to bed, okay?" he prompted. Obeying her nod, Sonic took her across the hall and up the short flight of stairs, connected to a tiny hallway; there were only two doors located there, and they were spaced within two feet of each other.

"This one's yours." Sonic pointed casually to the door on the right. "Well, good night Amira." He gave her a crooked smile, then walked through the left door.

Amira proceeded into the other room then and found Amy gazing out the open window opposite the entrance. She was confronted by her back, and the pinkette appeared to be unaware of Amira's presence. "Um, hi Amy," the older girl began cautiously. "We sorta got off on the wrong foot, and-"

"Did Sonic come up with you?" Amy asked without turning around. Her voice possessed a sinister tone.

The erratic question surprised her. "What?"

"Did Sonic come up with you?" she repeated with emphasis on every word.

"Yeah; he's in the other room."

"Perfect." Amy turned around and marched out of the room, her features holding a furious expression. Amira sat on the make-shift cot resting on the left side of the room, curious as to what Amy was doing. She soon found out.

"Sonic, how could you?" the young girl's voice shouted from the other side of the wall.

"How could I what?" Sonic snapped back.

"How could you bring _her _here? Especially knowing how I feel?"

"Amy, what're ya talkin' about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Bringing her here… It hurts, Sonic! It shows me that you don't care about us at all!"

"Maybe that's 'cause there is no 'us'!"

"What?" Amy's voice became tearful.

"How many times do I hafta tell you? We were never together, Amy! Never have been, never will be! So stop playing this dilusional game with me! I've had it up to _here _with it, and I can't take it anymore! Ya got it?"

There was ominous silence afterward. A few seconds later, the door slammed; then Amira's own was shoved open by Amy. Tears streaking along her cheeks, she furiously marched towards Amira, who continually inched away from her. "You ruined everything!"

Placing terror to the side, Amira attempted to reason with her. "Whoa, wait a minute! Just calm down-"

"No! I will _not_ calm down! You stole Sonic from me, and no one gets away with it! _No one!_"

Amy pulled out a large, damaging hammer from behind her and held it in a swinging position. Amira braced herself against the incoming attack, but it never came. Sonic rushed into the room then, grabbed onto Amy's arms and began to pull her towards the door. All the while the hedgette violently protested, struggling to break free.

"Amy, stop it! You don't wanna hurt her!" Sonic shouted to her.

"Don't I?" Amy yanked even harder against him; using her momentum, however, Sonic pulled her back and whipped her around, keeping her still with two hands planted firmly on her shoulders. The two of them stared intensely at each other for a moment, their green eyes seemingly having their own silent conversation. Soon, Amy put her hammer away and nudged against Sonic's grasp. He released her, and she stalked out of the room and down the staircase. The cobalt hedgehog then turned his attention to Amira.

"Are you okay?" he asked, worry evident in his voice. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"No, I'm fine, she just shook me up a little, that's all. But Sonic, I think you should go talk to her. Ya know, maybe explain things to her, without all the screaming and insulting. She was obviously upset, and a good talk should make her feel better."

The sapphire male considered this for a minute, then said, "Ya know, you're right. Maybe then she'll finally get it." He walked to the door and paused in the opening. "I'll be back," he promised her; then he left the room and went down the stairs. Amira watched him leave with unexpected sadness, and she soon caught herself anxiously counting the minutes until he returned.

*Uh oh… Looks like _somebody's_ a little jealous… This could get ugly…*

An hour later, Amira saw what she had kept herself awake for; Sonic had finally returned, and was walking up the stairs. He stopped in her doorway and looked around the darkened room, knocking lightly on the open door.

"Amira, are you awake?" he called out in a near-whisper.

"Yeah, I am," she said just as softly.

Sonic's expression became surprised. "Really?" He walked into the room and sat down on the bed next to Amira before continuing. "I thought you wouldda fallen asleep as soon as I left, considering the long day you had. What're ya still doin' up?"

"Couldn't sleep," Amira said, partially lying; her forced consciousness was a choice. "So, how'd things with Amy go?"

"Not too good," he sighed. "I tried to explain things to her, but the entire time she wouldn't stop trying to convince me that we're a couple. Then after I finally finished talkin' she stomped off, and she still looked really ticked."

"Well," Amira started, "you did all you could. I guess you'll just hafta let Amy deal with it on her own."

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Sonic leaned back against the wall. "But I can't help feelin' like…there's more I gotta say to her, ya know? Like I gotta explain things better, but that's the problem-I explained everything the best I could." Releasing a defeated sigh, he muttered. "Girls… I'll never understand 'em…" They were silent for a moment, then Sonic continued on with eyes focused on her. "Which reminds me-I hardly know anything about you, Amira."

The hedgette looked at him with wide eyes, reluctant to answer his implied question. He wanted to learn more about her past, she knew, but that was dangerous territory, containing information she was unwilling-and unable-to give. "Um, listen Sonic…" Her words faltered, trying to avoid the sensitive subject. "It's kinda late, and I…"

"I understand," Sonic cut in. Amira caught the hint of disappointment in his voice. "You don't hafta say. I was being nosy—"

"No you weren't!" Amira interjected, guilty. "You have a right to know, and I should—"

"Hey, it's okay," he interrupted, placing a hand on Amira's shoulder. He then laughed his low, gentile chuckle. "How many times are we gonna try to reassure each other?"

"I dunno," she replied, smiling, "until we finally convince each other, I guess."

"Probably." He chuckled softly to himself again, then stood up and walked toward the door. He paused in the doorway and faced her in the darkness. "Good night, Amira."

"Good night, Sonic," she whispered back to him. He grinned, then quietly shut her door. Amira settled into her bed and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Her own soft smile never abandoned her lips.

*Done! Well, I must say, this was not my favorite chapter... I mean, some important details were given and stuff, but in terms of excitement level, I was not giddy. Nope, not one bit. Ah well, not all chapters can be perfect, even though it is me writing 'em ;D And that was my cocky moment for today.  
Oh, and by the way, the guard rail I mentioned? Yeah, I own that too heehee There really isn't one in the games, even though considering how close the city is to the ocean (like, practically touching), for safetly purposes there should be one there. But safety was not my concern when I created it; there's a completely different reason for its existance... And now, I said too much again! XD Well, I will see you again in Chapter 3, which I can guarantee is more fun than this one! Adios, mis amigos! (heehee, spanish...)*


	3. Subservient

*Alright! Trilogy Time again (finally!)! Sorry it took me 4 months to publish, but due to severe procrastination, I did very little writing. But it's here now, and I promise things will begin to pick up! So, leave your review after the end, and enjoy!*

It was a restless night. Amira tossed and turned in her sleep, being haunted by a nightmare that was an all too real memory.

_A much younger Amira was being forced through a long, metallic hallway by numerous cloaked figures, their hands clamped on her arms. Along side her, an essentially older version of herself was brought with them in the same manner. Though she was the same shade of blue as the small girl there were no streaks among her shorter quills, nor were here irises the same hue; they sported a lighter olive. However, the most striking, condemning difference between them was a dark blue birthmark that slashed over her right eye, shaped like a lightning bolt. The older hedgette glanced to her left at Amira, saw her terrified expression, and tried to reassure her._

_"Sweetie, it's gonna be okay," she murmered in a warm, gentile voice._

_"Are you sure, momma?" Amira asked._

_"Yes. It'll all work out in the end, you'll see." _

_However, she knew in the back of her mind it would not. Soon, they all had reached two black doors that led to a room Amira and all the other children at the Cabal always avoided-the Execution Chamber._

_It was a large room built like a gymnasium; there were bleachers opposite each other on the long walls, and they were filled with all the members of the Cabal. They all wore cloaks of different colors-the lowest rank among them wearing white, and the highest clothed in brown. Lining the wall at the farthest end of the chamber, adults stood in stony silence, their obscuring robes dyed an unforgiving black. Standing before them was one final figure, with a thin red sash tied around the waist of his ebony cloak. Amira, her mother, and their captors walked up to him, stopping with ten feet of separation. The figure nodded once, and two others took Amira to the left of the room, while the rest kept her mother stationary. He then held a hand up to each side of the chamber, and all was instantly silent._

_"I have brought you all here for a very special reason," he announced. His voice echoed through the entire chamber, ringing with authority. "A crime has been committed tonight, a crime of the utmost severity-treason." A murmur rushed through the crowd. "Silence!" he shouted. The previous reticence returned. "This woman snuck into our domain, a woman not a part of our society, and had the audacity to impose her teachings onto our youth, corrupting not only their minds, but the very fabric of our society! Therefore, there is only one punishment suitable for a misdeed this harsh: death." _

_"_No!_" Amira cried. Oblivious to her protest, the figure slowly walked towards Amira's mother, and the crowd grew increasinly restless._

_"Amira," the older hedgette began as the figure approached, speaking over the voices of all the others. Amira stared at her with frozen eyes, horror-stricken. "I need you to promise me something. Promise me that you'll be good, that no matter what these guys'll do to you, you'll do what you know is right, okay?" Her daughter nodded her head furiously, and the gesture was returned with a warm smile. "You're such a good girl, Amira. I love you."_

_"I love you too, momma," Amira responded in an inaudible voice. _

_Then, the figure with the crimson sash was directly in front of Amira's mother, and he placed his right hand on her forehead. The audience became silent once more in excited anticipation. The figure applied pressure, and a red glow emanated from his palm. Within seconds, piercing screeches tore through the woman's throat, and her body trembled violently in agony. Amira tried to keep her eyes from the excruciating sight, but a third figure grabbed her temples and held her head steadily forward, forcing her to watch, scarring and terminating the last fragments of her innocence. For several unbearable minutes her mother was tortured, but soon the screams and convulsions ceased, and she fell limp in her captors' arms. This only meant one thing, one unbearable thing._

"Momma!" _Amira shrieked. She struggled against the grasps that restrained her; breaking free, she sprinted to her mother's side. The males that held her back started to pursue her, but the figure with the sash held up his hand, halting them._

_"Stop," he commanded. "There is nothing she could do now." _

_Reluctantly the others abandoned their chase and followed him out of the chamber. Soon the room was empty, leaving Amira in solitude with her mother's body. The young girl clenched it tightly as stabbings of pain attacked her, their intensity reaching magnitudes that she never believed were possible, even here. Emptiness consumed her inside, having lost one of the only beams of light that cut through her darkness. Now extinguished, she was truly alone, exposed and unprotected-and this reality mortified her._

_"Momma…" she moaned in a tearful, longing tone; despiration and sorrow then consumed her words. _"Momma!"

"_No!_" Amira shrieked, snapping into a seated position. Although her body was conscious, her mind was engulfed in her nightmare still, leaving her senses completely unaware of the outside world and body victim to the slight vibrations. She vaguely noticed that someone entered her room, and that that someone was soon sitting on the bed a few feet in front of her. He then started to speak to her, but her incompetent ears could not make out any intelligent words, only muffled syllables. However, his voice had become so imbedded in her mind that she instantly recognized it and wanted to reassure its worried owner, tell him that she was alright, but the nightmare continued to hold her mind captive, as well as her ability to move. All she could do was wait until the paralysis subsided; there was nothing that could be done to make it disappear any quicker.

Or so she thought. Amira began to feel a pressure on her left arm then, a gentile, calming pressure that was eradicating the stiff paralysis that plagued her. Slowly her senses came back to her. The feeling in her arms returned, and she instinctively grabbed the thing that was reviving her. A warm, addictive wave pulsed through her entire body when her hand clasped onto it that left her needing more. She squeezed tighter around the unknown object, and that wave faithfully returned once again. It caused her heartbeat begin to accellerate uncontrollably, and she was swiftly regaining control over her body. What was this object? Amira moved her gaze over to her left arm and discovered a hand, a white-gloved hand placed lightly on her arm, and her black-clothed one gripping tightly onto it. She then followed the tan arm that was connected to the other hand, up to the blue torso, finally meeting the pair of deeply concerned emerald eyes staring back at her. Amira gazed into them for a few seconds before the reality of the situation had fully caught up with her; then, her eyes widened, she released his hand, and her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Sonic," she muttered, turning her face away from him. "I didn't mean to, and I—"

"Never mind that," the cobalt hedgehog interrupted. His voice was thick with worry. "What happened? I heard you scream, and then you wouldn't say anything…"

"Oh, I'm sorry; I should've mentioned it earlier. That happens to me at night. I…" She took in a deep breath. "I have...this dream... A nightmare, actually, and every night it plays in my head. Sooner or later I wake up screaming, and it takes me a while to come out of it."

Sonic stared at her in silence for a moment, astonished. "Every night?" he questioned finally. Amira nodded solemnly. "How long has this gone on?"

"Seven or eight years now."

"That long? Didn't you tell anyone?" The hedgette shook her head. "Why not?"

"There was no one _to _tell!" she protested, hysteria suddenly appearing in her voice. "They…they wouldn't…" She cut herself off, and her breathing became shaky.

He slid closer to her and placed a comforting hand on her nearest shoulder. "Amira…" he whispered softly. "What _happened _to you?"

Amira's head moved from side to side once again. "I can't tell you, Sonic," she muttered, "I can't."

They sat in a solemn silence for a minute; then the girl's head shook a final time, an angry look on her countenance. "Sonic, I'm sorry you have to see me like this—"

"No, Amira," Sonic gently grabbed Amira's chin and turned her face in his direction, forcing her to look at him. "You're _not_ gonna apologize for this. You have absolutely nothing you need to be sorry for, alright?"

Amira remained retiscent, her rational mind vanishing as she looked into his irises, those mesmerizing green gemstones. Gazing firmly back at her, they were consumed by a single emotion-determination. Determination, she thought, to make her feel better. This idea dominated Amira's mind, causing her to smile gratefully at him. Sonic in turn grinned back at her, and his eyes softened.

"That's more like it," he said cheerfully, releasing his hold on her and hopping off the bed. "Now let's get outta here; we've got a busy day ahead of us."

"Why? Where're we going?" Amira asked, getting out of the bed.

"That's a surprise; c'mon."

Smiling at her slightly confused expression, he waved his hand towards the doorway. She followed his prompting gesture, and together they walked down the small hallway at the right of the stairs to reach the furthermost room of the hut. It was a garage; the four walls were metallic and there were small workbenches lining them, all laden with various tools and unidentifiable gadgets. A small violet plane rested in the center of the garage, which Tails was diligently working on. He looked up when Amira and Sonic entered the room and addressed them with a smile.

"Hey guys!" the yellow Mobian said warmly.

"Hey there Tails," Sonic responded in the same manner. "How's the plane comin'?"

"It's going great! I finally got a hold of the one part I needed earlier this morning, and I've been putting the final touches on the plane. It's just about ready to go."

"Wait, so you're in on this surprise too?" Amira asked him. He nodded.

"Someone had to provide the transportation," Sonic commented, smirking. Tails gave an offended look. "Hey, I'm only kidding, buddy."

"Ha ha, very funny," he muttered with light sarcasm; a genuine smile then shone on his lips, showing he had not taken the remark personally. "Well, I think we should get going; we have a lot to do."

"You're right," Sonic agreed, "let's go." The threesome then climbed into the plane-Tails taking the pilot seat, and Sonic and Amira settling into the two behind him. "Added another seat, I see," the blue male observed. "Nice job!"

"Thanks. I was gonna add a fourth one, but I realized that there wasn't enough time. So, I guess we'll figure out the seating issues once we pick up Knuckles; that is, if you guys want him to come along."

"Sure, why not?" Amira said.

"Yeah, that's cool; besides, I betcha Knuckles is dyin' for an excuse to get off that floating island of his," Sonic added with another smirk.

"Alright then, it's decided," Tails declared, smiling softly at his friend's comment. "Next stop: Angel Island!" He flicked numerous switches on the switchboard in front of him and the plane's engine roared to life. The small fox then pressed a button and the wall in front of them slowly retracted into the ceiling, revealing a long runway that touched the blue horizon beyond it. "Hang on, guys," he warned them. "Here we go!"

The plane began to traverse across the runway, gaining speed until it finally lost contact with the ground. They soared through the crystal blue sky for several silent, eventually arriving at a large levitating island. After landing smoothly upon it, the three of them climbed out and approached the large shrine located in the center. Knuckles was sitting on the top step of the shrine with closed eyes, as if in a meditative state. This state was broken, however, with Sonic, Tails, and Amira's approach. His violet eyes snapped open, and they betrayed the irritation he felt at their presence.

"What?" he said to them, his voice slightly sharp.

"Well 'hey' to you too," Sonic remarked in the same tone. "Is that how you always greet people?"

Knuckles released an exasperated sigh, but remained silent; his slightly hostile expression spoke for him. Sensing the tension between them, Amira spoke up to try to keep the peace.

"Wait a minute guys," she said cautiously. "Before we get into yet another fight, how about we start over? Knuckles, you wanna come on a trip with us?"

The echidna continued his reticence for a moment, then said, "Where to?"

"Don't ask me; I'm just as clueless as you are."

Knuckles gave Sonic and Tails a questioning look, and then returned his gaze to Amira. "Look, I couldn't go if I wanted to."

"Why not?"

"Because," Sonic interjected sarcastically as he crossed his arms. "He's gotta protect his _precious _Master Emerald. Am I right, Knucklehead?"

"Hey!" Knuckles snapped, defensive. "It's not like I asked for this! I was chosen to be the Emerald's guardian, so I've gotta protect it!"

A laugh containing both disbelief and mocking escaped his lips. "And you call what you were doing 'protecting'? At that rate, that Emerald'd be just as fine left by itself for a few hours while you did something worthwhile."

"Worthwhile?" Furious, the scarlet Mobian stood up then and began to take menacing steps toward Sonic.

However, Amira refused to let this continue.

"_Stop it!_" she screamed at them. Knuckles froze in place on the stairs and he, Sonic, and Tails all turned their countenances towards her, becoming surprised and somewhat terrified at what they saw. Amira's eyes were no longer their traditional emerald green; they had shifted into an unnatural red, burning with a fury that resonated from her tight jaw and clenched fists. Then, the crimson slowly retreated, becoming a small sliver around her pupils, taking with it the anger that had consumed her. Amira found that she was breathing heavily, and that three faces were staring at her with unnerving, indecipherable expressions.

"Amira?" Sonic called out carefully.

The hedgette's eyes darted over to his figure, reflecting her confusion at his tone. After a moment's pause, a wave of horror rushed through her, having formulated a solution for his concern that she hoped would be false. "Did…my eyes…?" she inquired, her voice quivering slightly with anxiety; part of her was afraid to hear the answer. Sonic hesitated his reply for a second, then slowly nodded. Amira's heart became heavy with guilt then, and her expression changed to match her emotion. "I am so sorry," she breathed softly. "Are you guys okay?"

A surprised look crossed Sonic's face. "Well of course we are."

It was Amira's turn to be astonished. "You're not hurt?" she asked. "Physically, you're not?"

"No," Sonic continued, walking up to Amira. "Why would we be?"

"Didn't you see my eyes?" Her voice held desperation. "They were red, weren't they?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So?" Tearfulness was added to her voice. "You don't understand! When my eyes change like that…" Her emotion-filled tone became soft; only Sonic could hear her. "Bad things happen-things I can't control. I don't know why it happens, but when it does…I end up hurting people, Sonic, and I don't wanna hurt anyone anymore."

"But Amira," he murmured gently, placing a hand on Amira's shoulder. "You didn't hurt anyone; we're all fine, honestly. But, are _you_ okay?"

Amira looked at him before answering; seeing the pure concern in his eyes, an uncomfortable knot grew within the pit of her stomach, and a tiny, counteracting instinct provided her with the solution to quell her desire to remove it. She gave him a tiny, yet confirming smile and nodded once. Sonic then reciprocated the grin, spreading into his emerald irises, and in turn caused Amira's own to widen further; her goal had been achieved.

He squeezed her shoulder gently. "That's more like it. Now what do you say we forget this little incident happened, alright?"

"Yeah, definitely," she responded with a sigh of relief.

Sonic's smile grew slightly wider in response; then turned to face Knuckles and Tails, without releasing his hold on Amira. "Last chance, Knuckles," he told him. "You comin'?"

"Do I really have a choice?" the echidna asked, his tone vaguely defeated.

The sapphire hedgehog answered him with a smirk and dashed like lightning in the direction of the plane. Knuckles let out a sigh and walked behind him, who in turn was followed by Amira and Tails. Once they reached the plane, they were confronted by the problem that had slipped to the back of Tails, Amira, and Sonic's mind.

"Oh yeah," Tails muttered awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "We've got a small problem. There's four of us and only three seats."

"Don't worry about it," Sonic said, nonchalant. "I'll just sit on the wing as usual."

"The wing?" Amira questioned, her voice holding surprise and concern.

"Yeah, I do it all the time. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Skepticism still possessed the girl's features as they stared at him, however. Noticing her telltale expression, Sonic flashed her his crooked, reassuring smile, which Amira found she could not protest against. She merely returned the gesture in playful defeat, and with her confidence, Sonic climbed onto the plane. The remaining three Mobians followed, sitting in the respective. As the golden fox began to awaken its engine, inspiration struck Amira's mind. She leaned forward in her seat and began to unveil her idea to the only person who could help.

"Hey Tails," she began, "do you think that before we get to where we're going we could make a quick detour?"

*Oookaay, whazzup with Amira's random mood swing? Strange... But important; all will be revealed in due time, trust me xD*

Within a few minutes the plane was soaring through the air again, gliding in the clear, azure sky. The plane's occupants remained silent; each was kept occupied by the thoughts that inhabited their minds.

During the duration of the flight, Amira's thoughts refused to stray from the one person that dominated them-Sonic. Her eyes seemed to be working in conjunction with these thoughts; they had glued themselves to the cobalt hedgehog's face and were unable to be removed, despite futile protests from her rational mind. The longer her irises lingered on his countenance, the more they asked her to decipher his puzzling expression. It was tense, she noticed, but not due to a wandering mind as she might have expected; it appeared to be more fearful, fear that he did not want to show. As Amira's mind deduced this, she was only left with more questions. She longed to know the cause of his anxiety, but before she could ask, another voice interrupted her.

"You know, I'm pretty sure Sonic'll still be there even if you look away for two seconds," Knuckles called to her from behind, heavily sarcastic.

Amira turned around in her seat and glared at him for a second. "Ha ha, very funny," she muttered flatly. Twisting swiftly forwards, she sat in silence once more.

"Hey, I was just kidding," he said with the slightest hint of apology. Amira continued to ignore him, refusing to respond to his sarcastic nature, believing it was the the true cause of her undesired change that had overcame her bef. Abandoning him, she then directed her conversation towards Tails, asking him that burning question that she felt only he could answer.

"Hey Tails," she began tentatively.

"Yeah?" he said back to her.

Amira took in a deep breath before continuing. "Well, I was wondering…" She hesitated for a moment, and then resumed, her tone lowered so that the hum of the plane's engine hid her voice from unwanted ears. "Is Sonic alright? I mean, he looks kinda nervous about something."

Tails stole a glance at Sonic, and then looked over the side of the plane to see the blue ocean below. "Yeah, he's fine, really," he said reassuringly. "That's just normal for him right now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he began, his volume also becoming softer than the plane's engine, "Sonic's hydrophobic."

Her eyes narrowed at the foreign word. "Hydro-what?"

"It means he's scared of water," Knuckles interjected, having overheard Tails and Amira's conversation. However, the discussion continued on as if the echidna had not spoken.

"I wonder why…" Amira muttered, mainly to herself.

"I don't know," Tails responded. "But, I guess there's nothing we can do about it."

With that, all communication ceased. The noise from the engine was all that pierced the silence; the foursome had retuned to their thoughts, and Amira's eyes once again locked onto Sonic's expression.

;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D;D

A few minutes later, the skyline of Station Square broke over the blue horizon. As the foursome drew closer to the city, Sonic's agitated look finally cracked, changing to show confusion at their destination.

"Uh, Tails," he began, "this isn't the way to the—"

"I know," the fox interrupted, "but Amira suggested that we make a quick detour first."

Sonic looked back at the girl with an inquiring look; Amira merely gave him a lopsided smile in return.

"Yeah, I guess that's alright," he said to Tails. "So, where're you takin' us?" Before he could recieve a verbal response, Sonic's question was answered as they came nearer to Station Square-namely, the apartment complex adjacent to the train station. "Wait a minute," he moaned, "this wouldn't happen to involve Amy, would it?"

"Yeah. Amira asked if we could bring her along with us, and I think it's a great idea, considering what happened between you two last night. It'll give you a chance to patch things up."

"Same thing with me," Amira added. "We got off on the wrong foot, too, and I wanna try to fix things."

Sonic looked back at her to acknowledge her comment, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a moment, his features changed to show acceptance. "Yeah, you're both right," he concluded lightly, then said no more. Tails and Amira followed suit, and all were silent until they landed on the roof of the apartment complex.

*Haha, how do ya like that short section? ^v^*

Soon, the foursome made their way into the apartment complex and was walking through the halls in search of Amy's apartment. Tails and Knuckles held a lighthearted conversation as the two of them walked ahead of Sonic and Amira, and when the girl turned to her right to add upon a comment one of them had made, she was confronted by Sonic's slightly troubled and distracted expression.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked him.

The blue hedgehog was unresponsive for a second; then he jumped slightly, as though the owner of the voice had suddenly appeared without warning. "Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine, really," he muttered quickly, half absentmindedly.

His tone left Amira unconvinced. "You sure?"

"Yeah, totally, I'm just thinking, that's all."

The hedgette paused before pressing on, her tone lowered. "Hey, if you don't want her to come, we don't have to go through with this."

"No, seriously, it's fine. You don't hafta worry about me," he said, giving her one of his reassuring smiles that always seemed to vanquish any hint of skepticism from Amira's mind.

She returned his smile with one of her own. "If you say so," she said with a light laugh.

Then at that moment, the four of them reached Amy's apartment. Sonic moved ahead of the group and knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Amy's voice called from inside. A second later the door flew open, and her face lit up with joy when she saw her favorite hedgehog standing in the doorway. "Sonic!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey Amy." The cobalt male's tone had flattened somewhat. "I was wonderin', if maybe you'd wanna..."

"-go on a trip with us," Amira finished for him, sensing his discomfort.

The pinkette's gaze darted over to her, her face turning sour. "Oh, _you're _still here," she muttered bitterly. "I guess you're coming too, huh?" Before Amira could give the obvious answer, Amy slammed the door on them.

Sonic glanced over at Amira, apologetic. "Sorry she's like that."

"Don't be; I can understand where she's coming from," she murmured thoughtfully, her eyes fixed on the closed door. "But still…" She opened the door then and walked inside Amy's apartment. The pink hedgette was standing at the farthest end of the room, looking out the window, her back facing Amira.

"Amy, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked cautiously.

"What do you want now?" Amy snapped, her tone quiet and increasingly hostile.

Amira hesitated a moment, unnerved by her tone. "Look, I dunno what went wrong between us, but…I don't wanna be enemies, Amy. And neither does Sonic." The young girl turned around then; although anger still dominated her expression, a miniscule amount of curiosity broke through. "Ya see, it was my idea to invite you to come with us, and the reason being that I wanted to find a way to make a fresh start, considering what happened last night. But, it's not just me; Sonic feels the same way. So, will you please come with us?"

Amy kept silent, and after a moment's pause she walked past Amira towards the door.

The older girl turned to face her, confused. "Where're you going?"

The pinkette turned around with a defeated hand on her hip. "Wherever you're going, I guess." Her expression was serious still, but there was a softness that Amira had not seen on her features before.

She gave her a thankful smile in return. "Thanks." She walked up to Amy, and together the two of them passed through the door. Once outside the apartment, they were greeted by three inquiring faces.

"Let's go, boys," the adolescent told them, her tone mildly playful. This only magnified the others' confusion.

"So you two're okay now?" Sonic questioned.

"I guess so. So, are we goin' or what?" Amira swaggered through them before allowing a response and continued down the hall alone. A hidden smile played at her lips.

The males watched her in astonishment for a moment; then with Amy they joined up with her and left the complex in silence.

*Just so you're all aware, the location I'm gonna tell you about is my own creation; it is by no means an actual part of Station Square, to my knowledge anyways. Also, I know that where I put it is kinda (by which I mean really) weird, but I needed it like this so that the rest of the story would work. Just wanted to clear that up.*

A few moments later the five Mobians were out of the complex and in the streets of Station Square, walking towards their final destination. Sonic had taken lead of the group, and he led them to the back street that wound around the buildings to the left of Twinkle Park. He then brought them to a nondescript building and held open the door, briskly ushering the others onwards. Once inside, the interior took everyone by surprise; behind the brick façade there was a modern, operational mall that they had often visited before, crowded with throngs of people.

"Whoa," Amira said, awestruck. "This was here?"

"Mm-hm," Sonic replied, walking up next to her. "Actually, the way we came in was a side entrance that I kinda..." He searched carefully for the correct word. "_stumbled_ onto once, but it was a lot closer than the main one, so I figured we might as well use it."

"And by 'stumbled', he means 'broke into'," Knuckles muttered from behind, his sarcasm present. "Apparently 'employees only' didn't apply to him."

Prompted by Amira's shocked glance in his direction, Sonic whirled around and playfully snapped back, "I didn't _break in_!"

The echidna's amythist irises were utterly disbelieving.

Rolling his eyes, he quickly ammended. "Okay, I did _once_, but only because you dared me to, alright?"

Knuckles smirked with satisfaction in response, his goal achieved. Sonic sighed and turned away from him and the two giggling Mobians on either side, leaning close to Amira's ear. "Amira, if you know what's good for you, you'll _never _play Truth or Dare with _him_," he whispered with a grin, jerking his thumb back at the crimson male.

"And you did?" she asked, placing conscious effort on stifling her laughter.

"Only 'cause he threatened to sic Amy on me if I didn't leave him to suffer alone." He chuckled softly. "He's very persuasive."

Amira's convulsions could no longer be contained. Her laughter rang out in the surrounding airspace, soon accompanied by the voices of the others. Sonic pulled away then, and as he watched the adolescent girl, his irises glinted, and his gentle smile reflected what had sparked there.

Taking in deep breaths, Amira looked up at the sapphire hedgehog several moments later, meeting the typical sarcastic expression that had since returned to his features. "So, all joking aside, I've gotta quick question-why wouldn't you tell me we were going here?"

His face fell slightly. "Well…" he began, somewhat awkwardly, "last night I sorta noticed that the only clothes you had were the ones you were wearin', and…" He cut his sentence off and started anew. "But I wouldn't tell ya 'cause I figured that you were the kinda person who wouldn't let anyone buy you anything."

Amira became surprised, then guilty; she folded her arms tightly across her chest as faint crimson teased at her cheeks. "Well, you figured right, Sonic! You didn't hafta do this for me!"

"I know I didn't _have _to. …I wanted to." He reached over and placed something in Amira's hand; giving her a warm smile, he then dashed off before she could respond.

Amira stood frozen for a moment, unsure of what to think. She then let out a sigh, mainly out of playful irritation. "I can't believe him," she muttered to herself. "Why does he always—" Glancing down, a gasp interrupted her sentence when she saw what now rested in her palm. A large amount of money sat there-simply too much for any one person to have. "Oh Sonic…" she moaned, embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" Tails inquired with innocent concern.

The older hedgette turned to face them before responding. "Nothing major, it's just that your friend Sonic's _way _too generous." She flashed them the money as well as a crooked smile. "So, I feel that I should spread the wealth around."

She divided up the money into four equal amounts and handed them to Knuckles, Tails, and Amy in turn. The stoney echidna left immediately without so much as a word, walking towards one of the corridors that branched from the main line of stores that laid in front of them. Tails followed suit, waving at Amira and Amy as he made his way to another row of stores.

"So, where to?" Amira asked the other hedgette.

Amy gave her a confused, surprised look. "What?"

"Well, I assume you've been here before, right?" she reasoned.

"Yeeeeah?"

"So, since I've never been here, I thought you could show me around; maybe go to the stores _you _like." She gave her a pleading half-smile.

Amy took a moment to read her expression, and her own softened for the second time, despite being overtaken by uncertainty. "Um, okay," she said cautiously.

The adolescent's smile grew, showing gratitude. "Great! Lead the way."

The pinkette did as instructed, and the twosome walked down the main row of stores for a few minutes. Soon, they came upon a store whose walls were a bright pink, and most of the store's merchandise was varying shades of the same color. Amira could not help but laugh softly to herself; it was no surprise to her that Amy would take her to such a place. Silently they went inside and looked through the clothes, keeping to themselves. But, as one hour melted into another, the two girls gradually opened up to each other, whether it be to ask the other how a certain shirt looked or just to strike a casual conversation. When they finally left the store with their purchases, they were talking as though they had been friends the whole time.

Amy and Amira glided down the main row of stores for a few minutes when one shop in particular caught the blue hedgette's eye. It was another clothing store with an ebony interior that housed black, white, and red shirts, as well as several pairs of blue jeans.

"Hey Amy, you mind if we stop here?" Amira asked, pointing to the store in question.

Amy looked to where other girl indicated, and her face grew slightly apprehensive. "Um, you can go if you want," she murmured, the tension in her expression spreading to her voice, "but there's nothing there that I need. How about we meet up later?"

"Sure, it's fine," Amira said with a smile, secretly knowing the real reason Amy wanted to leave.

"Alright, see you later, I guess." The young girl gave a small wave and disappeared into the crowd of people that continually flowed by. Amira then entered the store and began to rummage through the different clothes, picking out the ones that appealed to her. As she did, she could not help preferring her solitude; her thoughts had always satisfied her more than any number of people did. However, she silently noted how that opinion had been beginning to falter since her arrival, that it was shifting to quite the opposite.

While her mind wandered, her heart suddenly began to beat with the same tension that she experienced the day before when traveling towards Tails' workshop. At first she ignored its slight presence, but as its intensity increased she found that she could no longer disregard its influence. Out of instinct, Amira threw a glance over her shoulder, but saw no one other than insignificant passers-by. She then smiled to herself, thinking she was being ridiculous, and went back to her shopping. However, that sensation persistantly returned-minutely at first, then becoming stronger as the seconds passed. Amira snapped her gaze behind her again, but still noticed no one behind her. Once more she attempted to shop, but that nagging feeling would not cease to be. When the hedgette looked back a third time, her eyes locked onto a nearby clothing rack, the hangers of which rocked back and forth ever so slightly, as if someone who had stood there disturbed them as they rushed by. Heightening her anxious paranoia, she instantly made her way to the cash register with the hope that she could leave whatever she now knew was there behind.

Several minutes later Amira was out of the store and into the masses of people, where she finally abandoned that feeling of being watched. She walked to the right from the store's entrance with the hopes of finding the others. Soon she passed by the mall's food court and found who she was looking for; the four Mobians were sitting at one of the tables.

"Hey guys!" she called to them as she approached where they sat. They all turned their heads towards her, each with a different expression; Knuckles' was indifferent, Tails' was friendly, Amy's was remorseful, and Sonic's was both worried and relieved.

"Where were you?" the latter asked her.

"Just shopping," she answered, her tone slightly defensive. "Is that okay?

"Yeah, of course it is, I just thought that you were with Amy, and when she came back without ya, well…" Sonic averted his gaze, unwilling to see Amira's reaction.

The light blue hedgette just smiled, both surprised and touched by his anxiety. "I appreciate your concern, Sonic, I really do, but you don't hafta worry about me. I can take care of myself." However, his expression gained a hint of skepticism that could not help but frustratingly remind Amira of herself. "Seriously, don't," she told him more firmly, trying to convince him. His features remained unchanged, which only added desperation to Amira's tone. "You can believe me, right?"

Sonic looked back at Amira then, saw her slightly pleading look, and gave her a reassuring smile. "Of course I can."

"Well, that settles that, now doesn't it?" She flashed a gentle grin at him. Then a moment's pause fell over the group, and Amira took the liberty to alieviate them from it. "So… Are we done here? 'Cause I got everything I need."

"Yeah, I guess we can go," Sonic said. "C'mon, guys." Rising to their feet, the five of them made their way to the side entrance they had entered, chattering pleasent small-talk between them.

*Yay! I'm excited now! I finally get to write the awesome part of this chapter, after all that yacking! And yes, I'm fully aware that there were some boring sections here, but I felt you guys needed that info. Anyways, I'm not gonna hold you guys up any more, so go ahead and read the…awesomest (for lack of a better adjective) section thus far!*

Soon, the five of them had made their way across Station Square and on the roof of the apartment complex where the violet plane currently rested. However, the same seating problem that confronted them earlier arose again, only this time it was a greater issue due to the additional person with them.

"So, _now _how's this gonna work?" Knuckles asked with slight irritation.

"Well, I could sit on the wing too," Amira suggested.

"No you're not," Sonic said to her somewhat sternly, his eyes matching his tone.

Placing a hand on her hip, the girl's stubbornness surfaced. "Yeah, I am! I told you-you don't hafta worry about me."

"Actually," Tails interjected, sheepish, "you couldn't if you wanted to. You see, the plane's aerodynamics are off-balance enough with just Sonic on the wing; I'm afraid that another person'll jeopardize it beyond the point of flight."

"Well then, that's a—" Amira cut herself off as a solution came into her mind. "Wait a minute. I think I can make this work. Guys, you get in the plane without me. I'll catch up."

"But how-" Sonic started, but the hedgette swiftly interrupted.

"Just trust me, okay?"

He looked at her a moment and found himself unable to argue. "Alright; c'mon guys," he shrugged, walking towards the plane. His eyes lingered on Amira as he left her, asking her unspoken questions. The girl appeared to be unaware of his gaze, and her expression was blank with deep thought. Soon, the four of them boarded the plane and ascended into the sky towards the ocean a minute later.

Amira turned to face the same direction and drew in a deep breath while closing her eyes, focusing her energy into her hands. Coursing downwards along her arms, her fingertips soon began to tingle with the accumulating sensations. Her steel emerald eyes snapped open then, and without further hesitation, the girl sprinted towards the edge of the building. The lip of the edifice abandoned, she thrust both of her arms out at a downward angle in front of her as she sailed gracefully through empty space. Miniscule ice crystals were forced from her body, freezing the water molecules in the air, and manifested into a frigid, transluscent platform below her feet. Amira landed smoothly upon it and glided along the surface as she continually created it before her. Within a few moments, she came upon the violet plane, and four astonished faces turned to her when she appeared next to them.

"Amira?" Sonic exclaimed, completely shocked. The girl flashed a split-second glance at him. "How're you—?"

"Ice projection," she muttered; her voice was slightly strained, as if it was difficult for her to speak.

He had caught the tension in Amira's tone. "Are ya okay, though?"

" 'm fine, really," she said, making an attempt to smile at him. "Trust me."

"I do," he said quietly, then said no more.

Amira then retuned her strict concentration on the flow of energy in her body, ensuring that the ice would continue to form beneath her feet. For countless moments Amira maintained what she believed to be control, but she quickly discovered that it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to keep her power in check. She put forth the entirety of her effort to try to regain her falsified command, but she had irreversibly pushed herself beyond the point where any chance of control was no longer an option.

In her weakened mind, the hedgette felt an entirely different entity emerge, a darker, more villainous being that desired to become the dominant presence. However, Amira's subconscious refused to give into this faceless evil and attempted furiously to resist its influence. The darker being then grew in strength, determined to achieve its violent goal. The struggle for supremacy continued to escalate with no concern for Amira's conscious self, which was swiftly slipping away, unable to deal with the intense strain put on her mind. Her vision was greying around the edges, and before completely losing cognizance, she attempted to say the name of the only person who she believed could save her.

"Ssson…" she muttered weakly, unable to finish his name.

Sonic looked over to Amira in time to see her body go limp and fall forward off her ice platform, head-first towards the blue ocean below.

His heart ceased in its beating. "_Amira! _Tails, turn us around _now!_"

The fox took a quick glance backward, saw Amira, and instantly did as instructed, flying the plane at a downward angle towards her. Sonic reached his arm out to her as they approached, hoping he could catch her before she could crash into the water beneath them.

"Come on," he muttered through gritted teeth. The space between them depleted rapidly, and a small smile crept its way onto the blue male's face; Amira was within his reach. He leaned out a little further towards her nearest hand and attempted to clasp onto it.

He failed.

Their fingertips brushed against each other ever so slightly, but the cobalt hedgehog could not grasp more of her limb before Tails was forced to pull the plane back towards the sky. He had missed his chance.

"_No!_" he screamed as they were forced to separate. He watched with agonized guilt as Amira fell the few final feet before she make contact with the ocean, feet that he could have prevented. When the girl finally connected with the water's surface, the sound of the connection sliced through Sonic's heart. He closed his eyes and tightened his hands into fists, bracing himself against the unbearable pain as the reverberating sound waves reached him, each reinforcing his failure to save her, to be there when she needed him most. "Amira," he murmured softly, a quaver noticeable in his voice, "I'm so sorry. I shouldda had you; I _did _have you! But I let you down—again." His eyes snapped open then, their gaze transfixed on the spot where Amira had landed, his expression changing to fierce determination. "But I won't leave you here."

Then Sonic did the unthinkable; he blindly leaped off the wing of the plane towards the intimidating ocean without any hesitation, much to the other Mobians' complete astonishment.

As he fell through the sky, the blue male's mind consumed itself with the prospect that Amira was alive, and the realization of that possibility overrode any fears he had; the idea of her death surpassed them all. Soon the ocean was a few more feet below him, and he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impending impact.

In the plane, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy could do nothing but watch in utter shock as Sonic voluntarily plummeted towards the water, the one object they each believed he feared so much. When Sonic finally landed in the ocean, Tails immediately sprang into action.

"Listen up guys!" he commanded frantically. "Knuckles, you take over the plane!"

"What?" Knuckles exclaimed.

"You heard me! I've got a plan!"

The echidna climbed over Tails' seat and took over control of the plane while the small fox whirled his twin tails like a propeller to slow his descent towards the spot where both Amira and Sonic had landed. He flew beneath the water, and several tense seconds passed as Amy and Knuckles waited for any sign of life within the waves. Soon he reemerged with Sonic in tow, and the hedgehog was clutching onto Amira's unconscious figure with an arm tightly around her waist, a mixed look of satisfaction, sheer terror, and relief on his countenance. Silently and slowly Tails carried the two of them back towards the plane, and once everyone was relatively secured on the aircraft, he flew them to his workshop in the Mystic Ruins.

*^ v ^ Awwww! That's all I could say during the second half of this section! (and maybe it was the same for you too, I dunno) But this played a major significance here! If Sonic could brave his major hydrophobia… (which I don't believe was outta character, considering the circumstances (which I hopefully cleared up enough)) Anyways, we're almost done here! Read on, loyal fans!*

Darkness engulfed her. Amira continuously fell through the void for what seemed like an eternity, with no sign of escaping. Her throat was raw from her screams, but no sound could be heard; the sheer emptiness of this abyss muted all sounds, blinded all vision, crushed all victims. However, just as the pressure of the darkness began to take its hold on Amira's body, a small flicker of light shattered through underneath her. She twisted her body towards this light and gazed at it with newfound hope. Then, the light grew larger and stronger, continually doing so until brightness was all that existed.

Amira fell into this as well, and as she passed through she felt the pressure relinquish its hold on her, and she swiftly regained her senses. The blinding light manifested itself into a gentle glow behind her eyes then, much like the way bright light appeared behind closed eyelids. Realizing this, Amira placed conscious effort on opening them, and slowly her attempt paid off.

Gradually, her eyes registered her surroundings. She was resting a bed in a small plain room; nothing decorative covered the tan walls. She then noticed Tails standing by the end of the bed, a look of relief on his face. Knuckles was standing next to him on the side furthest from Amira, and despite his classic look of indifference, his eyes revealed to her he was relieved as well. Amira looked over to her left then and saw Sonic standing over her with a warm smile on his face.

"Hey, look who's finally awake! Ya know, for someone with healing powers, ya sure stay unconscious for a long time," Sonic commented cheerfully; Amira noticed that the expression in his features had not reached his eyes, however. They were fraught with tension.

"Well, I guess you can't have everything," Amira said softly, smiling. Sonic in turn smiled wider back at her, and most of the strain that resided in his eyes vanished.

There was a moment of silence between them before Amira realized the existence of pressure on her arm; directing her gaze to its source, she noticed that her left wrist was within the blue hedgehog's gentle grasp, and that the top of her hand was being subconsciously stroked by his thumb. She immediately looked back at him; in response to her suddenly shocked expression, his own irises followed the path hers had taken a second ago. Then he gazed at her once more, apology etched into his features, and a faint rose hue grazing his tan cheeks. He swiftly released his hold on her and hung both of his hands awkwardly at his side.

" 'm sorry," he muttered to her.

"Don't worry about it," she said solely to him, flashing a tiny, reassuring smile. Another moment of silence passed before Amira spoke again, changing the subject. "So…where am I, and how'd I get here?"

"Well first off," Tails explained, "you're in my workshop in the room next to the one you stayed in last night, and you got here by us flying you the way."

Her features tightened with confusion. "Fly me? Why would you hafta-" Horror briefly punctured her sentence. "Wait a minute-I blacked out, didn't I?" Amira looked at their three faces, and they all nodded. Slamming her fist against the matress, she moaned, "No! I was afraid that would happen again…"

"Wait-that happened before?" Sonic asked her, concern dominating his voice.

The hedgette's remorseful eyes avoided his. "…Yeah…"

"Then why the heck d'ya do it?"

"Because…I thought I could control it this time. A part of me told me I could, and it seemed to be working for a while, but…I still lost it. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, just...don't do anything that crazy again." He looked away from Amira, his expression somewhat agitated.

"Alright, I'll try," Amira said with gentle playfulness and a smile on her face, hoping to remove the troubled look that had overtaken Sonic's. He gazed back at her then, and slowly a genuine smile appeared on his face as well. "Hey," she directed to the group suddenly, "where's Amy at?" The three males assumed confused expressions and glanced around the room, but the pink girl was nowhere to be found.

"Well, she was here a minute ago," Sonic commented. "Amy, ya there?" Silence ensued. "Huh, that's weird," he muttered to himself. "I'll be back in a sec." The blue hedgehog sped from the room then, leaving the other three to themselves.

"Hey guys," Amira began.

"Yeah?" Tails responded.

"Well, this is kinda a stupid question, but I couldn't help noticing that my clothes are wet, and I was wondering why," she said with a smile.

However, Tails' face fell slightly. "Well, you see, we were flying over the ocean when you blacked out, and we tried to catch you, really, but you…crashed in the ocean before Sonic could grab onto you," he finished quickly.

Amira's eyes widened in shock as her ears registered his words. "Wait, then shouldn't I be-"

"I suppose technically yeah, but Sonic jumped in after you and-"

"Hold up-_Sonic _saved me?" she interrupted, half of her not believing what she was hearing. Tails nodded sincerely, confirming the truth. The adolescent girl said no more and allowed her mind to become flooded with numerous questions. She wandered back to where they were flying in the plane towards Amy's apartment, when she saw his fearful expression, such fear that it could only be genuine. And yet, she deduced, he saved her in spite of that fear. Her mind searched furiously for a reason why, and in the outermost reaches, she soon stumbled across an impossible, yet paradoxically possible solution. She became transfixed on this flicker of a thought, and despite its diminuitive existence, it widened her emerald eyes and caused a warm wave to rush though her body, sparking two pools of pink at her cheeks.

*^^ Alright, it shouldn't take three guesses to figure out what Amira's thinking (but you can take 'em if ya need 'em) But anyways, we're almost done! And I mean it this time! And just so you're aware, we're changin' POV's and goin' back in time a few minutes. Get it? Got it? Good.*

"Amy, ya there?" Sonic's voice called out from the other side of the wall. The girl in question heard his voice, but she refused to answer it; what did it matter to him where she was? Yes, she had seen the way he looked at _her, _how he had stroked her hand with so much concern and tension in his eyes that she must have been the only thing he thought about. And where did that leave her?

_Nowhere, _she thought viciously to herself. That word burned in her mind, causing an inferno of fury that masked the true feeling of jealousy. As each second passed, the fire in her mind grew stronger, and in turn ever more painful.

Then, the door to her room opened, and the rage and envy she felt vanished temporarily when Sonic stood in the open doorway, a smile on his face.

"Hey, there ya are," he said cheerfully. Amy remained silent, however, and Sonic's expression became concerned. "Are ya okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, really, I…was just worried about Amira, I guess," she lied.

His eyes widened with pleased surprise. "Really? I'm sure she'd appreciate it. She's awake now, if ya wanna see her."

"No, that's okay."

"Ya sure?" Amy nodded. "Alright, I'll see ya later, I guess." Sonic made his way towards the door then and left the room. Sitting on the left cot, the hedgette instantly resumed her previous thoughts, the fire of resentment once again ignited in her mind. However, her silent fury was interrupted when an unsettling sound penetrated the still air.

"Amy," a voice whispered from somewhere within the room. The sound was vaguely reminiscent of Sonic's own; however, it possessed a defining coolness and corruption that hinted its owner's possibly ominous intentions. "Amy, why didn't you go with him? I mean, he_ is _who you want, is he not?" Heart racing frantically, the young girl backed away from where she believed the voice was located, her emotions overtaken by fear. "Yes, I know he is; your face practically spelled it out for me a moment ago, and, to be honest, whenever you saw him and Amira together."

Amy paused for a moment, confusion and curiosity now taking over. "How would you know-" Before she could finish her sentence, the stranger took advantage of her second of foolishness; he dashed from the dark recesses of the room, positioning himself behind her. Then, he swiftly slithered a black-gloved hand around Amy's mouth and forcibly pulled her towards him, keeping her next to his body with his other arm wrapped securely around her waist. In a fit of terrified panic, the pinkette tried to escape from his grasp, but the stranger easily kept her locked in his prison-like arms.

"Shh, it's okay," he whispered in her ear, a sinister smile on his obscured face. "All I want is for you to listen. You see, I know what it's like to be in your position, to want someone you can't seem to have, and it feels awful, does it not?" Amy's head fell forward ever so slightly, confirming his question. "But, it doesn't have to be that way. As I see it, there is only one person standing between you and him-" He hovered centimeters above her ear. "Amira." Amy's green eyes widened, apprehensive as to the direction of the conversation. "But she doesn't have to be, if you don't want."

Mortified by his suggestion, Amy desperately tried to escape then, but the only movement the stranger would allow was a complete reversal of Amy's body's position; now she was directly facing him, still a prisoner in his arms. All the girl could see of his face were the upturned corners of his mouth, forming a malicious smile. The rest was hidden by the shadow that the brown burlap hood he wore created.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice broken slightly by fearful quivers. "Are you gonna…get rid of her?"

"Not in the way you think," he said, as gently as he could manage.

"But…why?"

"That, my dear, is a long, complicated answer that I cannot disclose to you. However, what I can tell you is that if you allow me to assist you in your dilemma, we will both benefit."

"But-" She was cut off by the figure's hand being brought over her mouth.

He let out a sigh, and the smile he wore pulled down into a mildly exasperated frown. "Again with more questions. I think I preferred you when you didn't speak. If you would let me explain, I just might answer your questions. Now, I don't suppose you were wondering why I'm involving you in my personal endeavors, were you?" He paused for a response, and after a second's hesitation, she slowly nodded. The poisonous smile returned to his face. "It's quite simple, if you think about it. You see, in order to best complete my…objective, I need Amira to be isolated; that is where you come in. You obviously are closer to her than I; you would be able to see her when she was at her most vulnerable-when they are alone." He chuckled softly then. "Or, as close to that status as is possible. Then, once she is removed from the equasion...you may have the blue hedgehog all to yourself."

Amy remained silent for a moment, merely staring at him while she tried to absorb the entirety of his explaination. As she did, a burning question emerged in her mind, one that she was determined to ask, despite how her captor would react. She reached up with both hands to where his hand covered her mouth and pulled it downwards with surprising ease. "But Amira's my friend," she countered cautiously. "Why would I wanna…help you?"

The stranger considered this for a second, his mouth becoming a thoughtful frown. "Your friend?" he questioned finally. "But my dear Amy, if she was truly your friend, she would leave _him _alone, because as your 'friend' she would be aware of your feelings. Or worse yet, she _does _realize them, but continues to be with him to hurt you."

The rose hedgette hesitated before answering; a part of her was infuriated by the logic in his response, while another was still skeptical. "But-"

Once more the stranger's hand cut her off, clamping even tighter over her mouth. "Listen," he sighed. "It's nothing you have to decide right now. I'm just making you aware that you have options." He removed his hand from her lips and relinquished his hold on her; then, he walked around her towards the window, slipping something into her hand as he passed. Amy's eyes followed his figure the entire duration. "So," he concluded when he paused next to the window. "If you ever find them alone together, and it bothers you, just let me know." He casually pointed to the object he gave her in her hand.

Amy's irises followed his finger for a brief second. "But how would I-" she began, but when she looked back where the stranger stood, he was no more. Only the slight movements of the curtains hanging over the open window revealed his previous presence. She walked over to the window and gazed out at the diminutive plateau below and the black ocean farther beyond, scanning the land for any signs of the stranger, but he had disappeared just as swiftly as he came. The girl then glanced at the item she received from him and discovered it to be a small card. Printed on it in near-perfect cursive was a simple message, followed by a series of seven numbers:

A Friend

555-0134

Amy returned her gaze to the landscape beyond the window, her longing expression filled with the unsatisfying curiosity about the identity of this self-appointed "friend".

*FINALLY! IT'S DONE! Yayz! So, quick recap… What'd you guys think of our little stranger? Bet you're dying with curiosity about his identity! (And it's NOT who I know you're thinking of! ^^) That's all I'll say about that. And, things seem to be picking up between Sonic and Amira! This can only get more interesting, methinks! Well, that's it for now, so I'll see ya again in Chapter 4!*


	4. Unsettlement

*Wewt, finally! Well, I've been mulling over this for some time now, and I decided to split the new Chapter 4 further, thus making the beginning scenes its own chapter, because it was getting rather long, and I've made you guys wait too long for this :3 But, I hafta make a dedication here: Pureheart, this is for you, considering it was you who took my disjointed ideas for this section and put words to them—this chapter couldn't exist without your help! *huggles* But now, enough outta me, and let's get on with things, shall we? ^^*

The relativity of time had always proved to be a foreign, confusing concept to Amira; her new life, however, provided her with the first glimpse of what that theory truly meant. She was unable to remember many details of all the times spent with Sonic, only blurs of laughter and flashes of smiles. Hours melded into days, which in turn blended into weeks, and all the while Amira steadily settled into this new normalcy, relaxing, talking, and even playing. The only worry that would perpetually gnaw at the edges of her thoughts now was when this beautiful reality would be stolen from her.

From within her mind's cloud of contentment, a few events shone brighter than the others that occupied her memory of the past two weeks. The first occurred just three days after the traumatic venture to the mall; Sonic, Amira, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles all took the violet airplane to where the scarlet echidna resided, with wicker baskets and the stereotypical checkered blankets in tow. Amira was amazed to see that such lush forestry was only a short flight from the contrasting cement city. The greens and blues of nature captivated her, requiring numerous attempts form Sonic to restore her attention when they landed. He smiled at the pure wonderment in her eyes as they finally gazed in his direction; then, he hopped out, dashing off towards the sunny island.

After a hearty lunch, consisting of good-natured taunts at Sonic's atrocious eating habits and a multitude of hilarious tales, everyone relaxed in the warm, encompassing sunlight. Knuckles had climbed a tree and appeared to fall asleep instantaneously among the branches, and Tails began to gather seemingly inconspicuous rocks that he claimed possessed special minerals, ores, or the like. Amy openly and relentlessly flirted with Sonic, eventually driving him off into Red Mountain, the pinkette giving chase close behind. Amira laughed gently at the two of them, shaking her head. Amy's persistence after an impossible romance never ceased to amuse her, especially as the blue male tried unsuccessfully to shove her away. Somehow, the panic the rose hedgette extracted from him entirely changed his demeanor in Amira's eyes. She could not define what she had seen; however, it was a side that widely opposed the typical confident, sarcastic, somewhat arrogant air he surrounded himself with—and, a side she surprisingly wished he would not keep so subdued.

A small noise jolted Amira from her thoughts then, and she subsequently focused her attention downwards.

A tiny sky blue creature sat at her feet, gazing up at her with widened, onyx eyes. It studied her as the paler hedgette stared back, her irises transfixed on the little yellow ball that hovered just above the tip of its teardrop-shaped head. Eventually it broke into a sharply defined smile. "Cha-ooo!"

"Chao?" Amira mimicked, confused.

The little being fluttered its wings and rose into the air to float by her arm. It pulled her to her feet and guided her towards the rickety bridge that connected the mainland to a large island, chattering the word repeatedly to itself. Amira nervously glanced back; however, noticing the other's continued preoccupation, she followed it hesitantly across the bridge.

The island was diminutive, edges jagged, as though it had only just been carved from the earth. Its beauty was still retained, however, in the gray ruins with hieroglyphics etched into its pedestals. The creature who led her cried aloud one high note. "Cha-aaooo!"

More of the creatures suddenly appeared, peeking out timidly from behind pillars, beneath ruins, and in flower beds. Their tiny countenances lit up at the sight of Amira, and they tumbled into the open, squealing and giggling in their one-word language. Amira observed them in joyous amazement as they played together; then she felt a sharp tug on her legs and squeaked as she was dragged to the ground. The beings cried out excitedly and began to climb her, hugging her body and tickling. She laughed startled with them, wonderment within her widened eyes.

"They're called Chao."

Heart fluttering, she snapped up her head in surprise at the sound and looked back to see Sonic standing over her, a warm grin brightening his features. He laughed as a few Chao latched onto him then, chattering lightheartedly, and he knelt next to Amira. "The humans raise some as pets, but these guys are special," he explained as his fingertips tenderly brushed against the small creatures, becoming their personal playthings. "They live here for a reason; they've got a history here."

"What's that?" Amira inquired.

Sonic cocked his head, smiling crookedly. "Maybe I'll tell you someday...but not today." He stood then and offered her his hand. "C'mon, I wanna show ya something."

The hedgette took his hand cautiously, wary of his evasion. He helped her stand upright, chuckling as one of the Chao lunged at her, clinging to her chest. Amira cradled it with one hand, clasping Sonic's with the other, and followed him through the ruins. He led her up the marblesque stairs in the center of the island, only smiling when she questioned him as to their destination.

Once at the top they finally stopped, and Amira gasped.

Sonic watched her carefully. "Do you like it?"

She nodded mechanically, shocked, and stepped towards the giant gem before them. Staring into its fathomless depths, she whispered, "What...is it?"

"The Master Emerald. This is Knuckles' home. He guards this hunkajunk." He shook his head. "Just sits in front of this thing all day and night, if he can. We hafta come drag him outta here sometimes, which is a pain. No wonder he can be such a knucklehead." Laughing softly, he quieted.

"It's so beautiful..." Amira stared silently for several moments, studying the way light skipped within the green gemstone, how the flashes appeared to dance at its faceted heart. Something suddenly moved inside, and she leaned forward inquisitively, touching her fingertips to the cool, glassy surface.

Emotions instantaneously jolted through her, electrifying her mind and accelerating her heartbeat. She experience sensations that she had never felt nor had ever believed herself capable of feeling: bravery, innocence, forgiveness. Love. The darkened corner of her mind faded into obscurity as the light feelings pulsed from the brilliant fire at her chest, warming her from the inside out. A soft, childish giggle echoed faintly in her ears, and she was convinced that she saw a flash of color within the jewel. Pure joy blazed through her, and notes filled her mind, the same tune repeating itself indefinitely. Pressing her fingertips closer, she held her breath as the Emerald sparkled and glittered.

A fingertip brushed desperately against her own.

Amira gasped aloud when a final wave of hues crashed into her immediately following the touch; she staggered backwards from the sheer force, clasping her trembling hands over her breast. Her pulse rivaled the wing beats of a hummingbird, imprinting shock and amazement onto her palms. Her breaths came in enormous gulps, and she tried unsuccessfully to calm her dramatic reactions to the emotions.

A hand pressed her shoulder gently. "Amira? What's wrong?"

She merely shook her head, unable to speak. Concern etched deeply into his features, Sonic placed his arm across her shoulder blades and guided her over to the stairs to sit. As he rubbed her nearest shoulder in small ovals, he whispered. "Did you…feel something?"

The hedgette nodded, breathless.

"Huh. There's a legend that this Emerald holds a link to reality—that it can break the chains of gravity to extend across time and space. Knuckles sometimes claims to speak to his ancestors… I didn't think it was actually true."

"Chaoooo!"

The two looked down and smiled at the lone Chao rolling playfully at their feet. The others seemed to ignore it; however, it continued to be content and cheerful. Amira wondered why, when the poor creature was all alone…

"What are you _doing_ here?"

Sonic glanced up nonchalantly. "Oh, hey Knuckles. We were just admiring that rock up there."

The echidna's jaw visibly set, and his amethyst eyes were sheathed in a layer of cold steel. "How many times have I told you to stay away when I'm not around? It's dangerous! Not to mention you might break it!"

"_Chill_, Knucklehead, I was just showin' Amira around. And the Chao brought her over here, not me. I only showed her the Master Emerald. Right, Amira?"

The girl nodded stiffly, tremors still wracking her body.

Knuckles noticed her demeanor then and knelt before her, the rage on his countenance replaced with worry. "Amira, are you alright?"

She nodded once more, carefully, finally finding her voice. "You…Sonic said you've talked to people using the Emerald before."

His expression grew serious, and he laid his hands on her shoulders gently. "Yes, I have. Did you…?"

"Uh…yuh-huh." Amira looked down at her shaking hands. "I touched it…and a rush of feelings hit me. Some of 'em…were emotions I've never felt before." She closed her eyes briefly as a warm wave of pink faintly grazed across her cheeks. "And there was someone…someone like us there, laughing and singing, and wearing long, rustling clothes…a dress maybe? Then…a flash of color…and I swear I felt a hand touch mine!"

The others stared silently at her for a minute, Sonic uneasily, Knuckles with concern. Then the crimson echidna whispered, "If it was a dress you saw… Did this person, this girl maybe…did she sound…refined?" Amira looked at him confusedly. "I mean, did she sound like royalty?"

The hedgette shook her head firmly. "Definitely not. But now that I think about it, I don't think it was a girl at all; the voice I heard…was too deep to be a girl. And the thing he was wearing…seemed more like a cloak or something. And…he was close to my age, but there was something childish to him…innocence, maybe?"

The two males visibly relaxed. "Good. What else? What color did you see?"

"Um, yellow? Gray? Then a flash of red…and black, maybe? I dunno…but it wasn't just a solid green."

"Okay, that's okay," Knuckles continued. "There's a chance that you had a brush with a possible future…or a spirit of the past." He smiled. "They flock to the Master Emerald for power and peace."

"What was the song you heard?"

Sonic's question was so soft, its existence nearly slipped by unnoticed.

"Well," Amira began, turning to him, "it sounded kinda like this." She hummed the strangely familiar notes gently, remembering the warm, unwavering voice that had sung them to her just a moment ago.

To her surprise, they tiny creature at her feet mimicked her, picking up the song effortlessly. Lifting into the air, it patted Amira's cheek softly and glided to the others, singing the tune and improvising upon it. The other Chao looked up, listening quietly. Then a second creature rose into the air to join the first, harmonizing perfectly with it. More Chao joined in, and suddenly there was a choir of their innocent voices, floating into the sky and flowing above the clear pools and grass. Flower blossoms detached from their homes, enticed by the magical melody, and swirled through the air, dancing among the notes and surrounding the Mobians in their fragrance. Enthralled, Amira turned to say something to Sonic, but froze when their eyes met.

He had been gazing at her, not the Chao. His emerald eyes had observed her reactions carefully, and even now their intense focus remained on her. Their usual nonchalant demeanor was nonexistent; they now possessed a depth that mirrored what Amira had seen within the Master Emerald, but even the farthest reaches of this vastness was filled with something, some strange emotion that she was unable to recognize. It caused her to react, however; her pulse rose to audible levels, her stomach twisted and knotted, and heat rushed upwards to consume her face.

Noticing her blush, the cobalt hedgehog grinned and looked back at the Chao, but not before she caught his cheeks flush as well. After the azure creatures ended their celebration, a wave of cheerful giggles rustled amongst them before all but one gradually returned to their homes. Amira's guide lingered for a moment, giving her a beaming smile and a cute cry of its name before it disappeared with its friends. Then, Sonic resumed his tradition of pushing Knuckles' patience out of the echidna's grasp, as though nothing had occurred between him and Amira only a minute ago; after one final sarcastic comment passed his lips, the two males ended up wrestling until a joint effort of Amira, Amy, and Tails was required to separate them, determining that it was time to leave.

Flying back, Amy asleep against her as they shared a seat, Amira stared out at the blue male on the wing. He was watching the water flash by beneath them, his eyes reflecting the minor panic he felt within. The longer she gazed into his irises, the greater contrast she noticed from the expression they held on the island. The emotion she had seen then was so unique, so incomparable to anything she had ever previously experienced…

What had Sonic been feeling while the Chao sang?

*Hmm, a very good question, my Amira! Haha, things are definitely getting interesting... I mean, who the heck touched Amira in the Emerald, if anybody at all? And what was up with Sonic afterwards? ...Yeah, if I answered these now, why would you bother reading anymore, right? ^^ So, do continue on!*

Several days later, what had been intended as another quiet afternoon was shattered with the arrival of an unexpected thunderstorm. The sky painted a foreboding ebony, thick rain cascaded downwards onto the Mystic Ruins. The five Mobians scrambled into the sheltering basement of Tails' workshop as the wind began to rattle its very framework. The area below belied the humble structure that resided above; hundreds of square feet of concrete expanded in a lengthy rectangle before them. Two contrasting rooms occupied the generous space; an intricate laboratory was nestled at the farthest end, and a cozy living room resided before it, created in preparation for this exact situation. Peanuts and popcorn soon filled the air with their comforting scent, and the five of them settled at the right side of the room, the large screen opposite them bathing their faces in a soft blue light.

Tails inserted the DVD and flew back to the couch to sit next to Sonic, who was playfully attempting to shove Knuckles off the furniture's back. Amira stepped around the two brawlers, swiftly dodging a stray punch to pass Amy the separate bowls of chips and popcorn for safe-keeping. Blindly accepting, the pinkette's eyes remained focused on the two competitors, a joyous laugh passing her lips as she was seemingly sizing them up. The adolescent males growled only somewhat jokingly as they beat upon one another, continuing until Amira, with a mischievous grin, advanced forward and raised her hands.

Immediately the two of them separated, staring at their new friend with wide eyes.

She snickered, returning her arms to her sides. "Come on, guys, let's watch the movie."

Everyone responding to her words, they gathered onto the diminutive couch that originally was designed to house just two. However, three wedged into the cushions, their bodies pressing against each other. Amy was shoved unceremoniously to the floor and began to pout until Amira lightly tossed her a pillow; she then contented herself to sit at Sonic's feet. Tails was located to the cobalt hedgehog's right, Amira curled on his left, her hips compressed against both his own and the furniture's arm. As the living room became engulfed in blackness with the start of the film, the teenage girl leaned her head back against Knuckles' forearm comfortably. _This is nice, just relaxing without worrying... _the words wafted across her mind. Then an unnoticed frown pulled at her lips with the next stream. _I've never really done this before..._

The movie gripped her attention tightly, its intricate plotline sucking her into the fantasy world. Colors and sound attached her to Pandora, and to her it seemed only a few minutes had passed when Tails declared the midway intermission and froze the images on the television with his remote. Surprise pulsed silently though Amira's body at his announcement; she could not grasp how an hour had already slipped by, not when the story was only just beginning. As Amy raced off to retrieve something, the adolescent hedgette was detached from her thoughts with the realization that she was suddenly shaking. Upon closer inspection, however, she soon recognized that the source of the vibrations was not herself, but another against her. It dawned on her then. "Oh, Sonic, I'm sorry!"

"N-n-nah, I'm f-fine," the blue male stuttered casually, smiling at her through trembling lips. "W-what're ya ap-pologizin' for?"

She scrambled away from him, forcing herself as deeply into the cushions as they would allow. "Sonic, your teeth are freaking _chattering_. You're obviously cold because of me!" She then whipped her head around and cast her concerned, guilty eyes on the echidna behind her. "Oh, crap, Knuckles, what about your arm?"

He looked at her steadily, a quiet smile on his features. "Nah, it feels nice, actually. I pulled a muscle earlier, and there's no ice on Angel Island...if you don't mind me using your head as an ice pack, I guess." He smirked then, and Amira understood the double purpose of his words.

"Oh, it's no problem! You're actually kinda comfy..." Seeing his face harden, she quickly amended, "You know, in a ropy-muscled way. Supportive."

"Oh." The crimson male's countenance cleared, and he relaxed once again on the back of the couch. "Okay then." He turned towards the blue hedgehog and added, "Why don't you get a blanket, Sonic, if you're so cold?"

"G-great idea!" In two seconds Sonic bolted from his seat and reappeared, wrapping himself in a green felt blanket. Curling up next to Amira, he laughed. "Much better." He then leaned over against the hedgette, his warm, peanut-scented breath pervading her airspace. "Don't worry about it. It's just so cold down here, and I haven't run in a while... I'm fine, really."

She shrugged, somewhat unconvinced. "Well, if you're sure..."

"Yeah, I'm sure." He chuckled as Amy finally returned to her place at their feet. There was no longer adequate space to allow three on the couch with the addition of Sonic's blanket; Tails happily settled beside the young pinkette, enveloping himself with his tails to pillow them both. With his lips now hovering just inches away from Amira's ear, Sonic murmured one concluding comment before the movie began anew. "You've gotta stop apologizing for who you are and freakin' out needlessly. Relax."

As the picture resumed, however, the emotion the cobalt male requested refused to manifest within her. Her entire body quivering with tension, she sat rigidly in her seat; legs and right arm were constricted against her torso, and the left arm hugged the couch's own, ensuring no contact between herself and him. Several scenes flashed uncomfortably before her as she maintained this position, but then a delicate brush caused her to jump.

The blanket had somehow come to cover her right hand, cocooning it in soft green. The touch returned once again, barely there against her pinky. It traced along the side of her hand, gently burrowing beneath her glove to graze a callous at the base of her palm. Amira hissed in a breath, attempting to be as silent as possible. What was...

"_I told you...to re_lax."

His hand moved closer, downwards, his little finger briefly hooking hers. The others danced across the top of her hand, gradually tracing every area of her forearm. His gentle touch wove through her prints, swirled through her lines and creases, rubbed her fingertips, leaving a sparking trail of embers in its path. Unable to comprehend such extraordinary sensations, her irises darted slightly as they attempted to gaze forward, and her heart raced frantically in both her chest and throat. The fingers traversed once more to the end of her limb, lingering to massage her hand, and waves of tension subsequently evaporated from her form. Heat smoldering beneath her skin, Amira loosened; she lounged on the cushions, genuinely relaxed for the first time in her short life. His fingers entwined approvingly with hers.

When the movie finally concluded and light was restored to the living room, Sonic and Amira were no longer touching, though the girl's cheeks were still tainted with deep crimson. An unnoticed observer, Knuckles realized the truth, however. He had felt Amira's blood pulse heavily against his arm, seen Sonic slip his hand over hers; and, as though desiring to confirm his suspicions, the hedgette quickly dashed up the stairs to the bathroom instantly after Tails raised the suggestion. Gullible as he was, this time he could not be fooled. His leering eyes watching her leave, he understood he could have spoken, made a comment to embarrass them both infinitely.

Instead he tucked his head against his arm, crimson fur worn and knotted, as he waited for the young fox to select the next disc, and allowed the smirk in his amethyst eyes to curl his lips.

Blackmail always came in handy.

*And there we have it! Part 1 of what used to be the original Chapter 4! A rather cutsie little chapter before we progress further into the plot, mm? I thought so ^^ And one more time, thanks eternally to Pureheart for help with this! Love you muchly! Oh, and quick disclaimer, I don't own the movie _Avatar _(which is where Pandora came from); those honors belong to that James Cameron dude. Well, that be all for now, so stick around for Chapter 5 (formerly known as Part 2 of Chapter 4)!*


End file.
